Chaffee County, US

In October 2022 Chaffee County, Colorado finalized and approved a first-of-its-kind private-land camping ordinance that provides farmers, ranchers, and agritourism operators with a clear and cost-effective path to hosting small-scale commercial camping on their properties.

Specific provisions of Chaffee County’s ordinance include:

Private land camping is allowed as a secondary land use for properties that are being primarily used for agriculture, ranching, or agritourism activities
Properties must be 5 or more acres in size
Properties under 100 acres can have up to five tent sites or RV/van parking spaces, and properties 100 acres or more can have up to tent sites or RV/van parking spaces
Campsites must be set back at least 100 feet from streams, rivers, or wetlands and 50 feet from ditches or floodplains to protect wildlife habitat, as well as 100 feet from dwellings on adjacent properties and 50 feet from property lines
Human waste must be disposed of properly; options include “wag bags,” porta-potties, or septic-based bathrooms
Property managers (not necessarily property owners) must be within a 60-minute drive time of the property while campers are staying in the campsites.

With the ordinance, the Chaffee County Board of Commissioners modernized the county’s definition of agritourism and opened critical economic opportunities to Colorado farmers and ranchers. Hipcamp partnered closely with the agricultural community, the Chaffee County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), and Hipcamp Hosts across the county to advocate for the change.