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Intro
Under the Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds Regulations 1997, a local government can consider applications to occupy a caravan or camp on private land.
Usually, a caravan or tiny home on wheels is the easiest form of temporary accommodation to place on the land under these approvals. Caravans or tiny homes on wheels are easily removable if need be.
The construction of a building or permanent structure on the land is generally subject to planning or building approval and cannot be approved under these regulations.
Caravans and tiny homes on wheels are used by many people in WA for a variety of reasons including:
It is important that caravans and tiny homes on wheels are used in a safe and healthy manner. That’s why WA legislation generally restricts the use of caravans to licensed caravan parks, where a certain level of services and utilities must be supplied.
If a person uses a caravan or tiny home on wheels outside a licensed park without approval or exemption, they risk committing an offence, regardless of whether the land is private or public.
If the applicant is seeking to camp on a state or federal reserve, approval may also be required from the authority who manages that land.
A person may use a caravan on a roadside if their vehicle has broken down or they are unable to drive safely.
For this exemption to apply:
Many local governments and state highways provide clearly marked overnight rest stops for convenience and public safety.
No approval is required to use these rest stops for up to 24 consecutive hours only.
If a local government grants an approval to camp, they may make it subject to health and safety conditions. For example, the local government may require the applicant to have sufficient power, water, sewage, and cooking facilities.
The duties, approvals and exemptions that may apply are outlined in the Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds Regulation 1997.
The Minister for Local Government has the power to consider camping approvals in instances where a local government does not provide approval or revokes an approval. If the Minister provides an approval to camp, this cannot be revoked by the local government.
This document contains information, opinions, data, and images (“the material”) prepared by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural industries (DLGSC).
The material is subject to copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) and is owned by the State of Western Australia through DLGSC.
The DLGSC encourages the availability, dissemination and exchange of public information. Should you wish to use the material for any purpose, you must obtain permission from DLGSC.
Any permission is granted on the condition that you include the copyright notice © State of Western Australia through the “Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries” on all uses.
To obtain such permission, please contact the Corporate Communications team at:
Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries PO BOX 8349 Perth Business Centre WA 6849
Email: communications@dlgsc.wa.gov.au
Whilst the information contained in this document has been formulated with all due care, DLGSC does not accept any liability to any person for the information (or the use of such information) which is provided in this document or incorporated into it by reference. The information contained herein is provided on the basis that all persons accessing the document undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content.
August 2024