Planning Permission for Mobile Homes & Static Caravans: Complete UK Guide

Whether you need planning permission for a mobile home depends on its use: one used incidentally to the main dwelling (guest accommodation, home office) may not need permission, but using it as a separate dwelling is a material change of use requiring planning permission. The legal definition of a 'caravan' under the Caravan Sites Act 1960 is surprisingly broad — covering structures up to 20m long and 6.8m wide. Commercial caravan sites also need a separate caravan site licence. This guide explains the planning rules for garden mobile homes, caravan parks, and permanent living.

The Legal Definition: What Counts as a Caravan?

Key Mobile Home Planning Facts (England, 2024)

• Max caravan size: 20m long × 6.8m wide × 3.05m internal height (twin-unit)
• Single-unit caravan: 7m long × 2.3m wide × 3m high
• Caravan site licence: required in addition to planning permission
• Mobile Homes Act 1983: governs rights of residents on protected sites
• Exempt from council tax (subject to business rates for site operator)
• 28-day rule: temporary caravan use on land for up to 28 days/year without permission

This is where it gets interesting. Under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 and the Caravan Sites Act 1968, a "caravan" is defined as any structure that is:

• Designed or adapted for human habitation
• Capable of being moved from one place to another (whether by being towed or transported on a vehicle)

The 1968 Act added the "twin-unit" definition for larger structures. A twin-unit caravan can be up to:

• 20 metres long (65.6 feet)
• 6.8 metres wide (22.3 feet)
• 3.05 metres high (10 feet, measured internally)

This means many structures that look like permanent buildings — including large static caravans and park homes — legally qualify as caravans, which affects the planning rules that apply.

Why the Definition Matters

If a structure meets the legal definition of a caravan, it benefits from certain planning exemptions that don't apply to conventional buildings. However, the use of land for stationing caravans still requires planning permission in most cases.

Do You Need Planning Permission for a Mobile Home?

The answer depends on where you're putting it and what you're using it for.

Mobile Home in Your Garden: For Ancillary Use

If you want to place a mobile home or static caravan in your garden for use ancillary to the main dwelling (such as a guest room, home office, or extra living space), you may not need planning permission — but this depends on several factors:

Potentially Permitted Development if:

• It's within the curtilage (garden) of your house
• It's genuinely ancillary to the use of the main dwelling
• It meets the size limits for outbuildings under permitted development
• It's not in front of the principal elevation
• It doesn't exceed 50% of the total garden area (combined with other outbuildings)

Size limits for permitted development outbuildings:

• Maximum height of 2.5m if within 2m of a boundary
• Maximum eaves height of 2.5m
• Maximum overall height of 4m (dual pitch) or 3m (flat roof)
• Not exceeding 50% of garden area

Many mobile homes exceed these dimensions, particularly the height limit of 2.5m within 2m of a boundary. If your mobile home exceeds the permitted development limits, you'll need planning permission.

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Mobile Home as a Separate Dwelling

If you want someone to live in a mobile home as their independent primary residence (not ancillary to the main house), this constitutes a material change of use of the land and requires planning permission — see our guide to planning permission for change of use for a full explanation of how use classes work. This is the case regardless of the structure's size.

Key indicators that a mobile home is a separate dwelling (not ancillary):

• It has its own separate entrance from outside the property
• The occupant has no functional connection to the main house
• It has independent utility connections
• Council tax is charged separately
• The occupant comes and goes independently

Mobile Home on Agricultural Land

Agricultural workers' dwellings are a specific planning category. If you're a farmer or agricultural worker and need to live on or near the land for operational reasons, you may be able to get planning permission for a mobile home as a temporary agricultural dwelling.

This is often used as a "test period" — the council grants permission for a mobile home for 3-5 years to demonstrate that the agricultural enterprise is viable before considering a permanent dwelling.

Requirements typically include:

• An essential need for a worker to live on-site
• The enterprise must be established and viable (or planned to become viable)
• No suitable alternative accommodation available nearby
• A functional need assessment

Caravan Sites and Holiday Parks

Establishing a caravan site (whether for residential or holiday use) requires both:

1. Planning permission for the use of land as a caravan site
2. A caravan site licence from the council

These are separate legal requirements. Having one doesn't automatically grant the other.

Caravan Site Licences

Once you have planning permission for a caravan site, you need to apply to the council for a caravan site licence under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960.

The site licence sets conditions for:

• Number and density of caravans
• Layout and spacing
• Fire safety and emergency access
• Services (water, drainage, electricity)
• Maintenance standards
• Site management

Exemptions from Site Licensing

Certain uses are exempt from the requirement for a site licence:

• Incidental use within the curtilage of a dwelling
• Land occupied by a local authority
• Sites approved by exempted organisations (such as the Caravan and Motorhome Club)
• Land used for agricultural or forestry workers
• Sites used for a maximum of 28 days per year (also exempt from planning permission under the 28-day rule)
• Building and engineering sites (for workers' accommodation)

The 28-Day Rule for Temporary Use

Under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, you can use land for any purpose for up to 28 days per calendar year without planning permission. This includes stationing caravans on the land.

However, there are important restrictions:

• The 28 days are cumulative — not 28 consecutive days
• No more than 14 days can be used for markets or motor racing
• The land must return to its original use between periods
• This doesn't apply to land within the curtilage of a building
• The exemption doesn't override the need for a site licence in all cases

Planning Considerations for Mobile Home Applications

When assessing planning applications involving mobile homes, councils consider:

Visual Impact

Mobile homes and static caravans are often visible in the landscape. Councils may require:

• Screening through landscaping
• Colour restrictions (typically green or brown)
• Limitations on external alterations
• Siting in less prominent positions

Highway Access

Adequate access and parking must be provided. For caravan sites, the access needs to accommodate large vehicles delivering static caravans.

Drainage and Utilities

Adequate water supply, sewage disposal, and electricity connections are required. For rural sites, this may mean private treatment plants or septic tanks.

Residential Amenity

The impact on neighbouring properties from noise, activity, and visual intrusion is assessed as with any planning application.

Flood Risk

Many mobile home parks are in low-lying areas near rivers or the coast. Caravans are classified as highly vulnerable uses in the flood risk sequential test, meaning they should not be located in Flood Zone 3 unless exceptional circumstances apply.

Living Permanently in a Mobile Home

If you want to live permanently in a mobile home (sometimes called a "park home"), you need to find a residential mobile home park with the appropriate planning permission and site licence.

Residents of permanent residential parks have significant legal protections under the Mobile Homes Act 1983 (as amended by the Mobile Homes Act 2013), including:

• Security of tenure — you can't be evicted without a court order
• Right to sell your home on the open market
• Protection from unfair pitch fees
• Right to form a residents' association
• Right to a written agreement

Buying a Park Home

Park homes are sold as the structure only — you don't own the land beneath them. Instead, you pay a pitch fee to the site owner. This is typically reviewed annually and can only be increased in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI).

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Enforcement Issues with Mobile Homes

Mobile homes are a common source of planning enforcement complaints. If a mobile home has been placed in a garden and used as a separate dwelling without planning permission, retrospective planning permission can be applied for — but approval is not guaranteed, particularly in Green Belt locations or where the council has strong policies against backland development. The council may require removal if refused. Common enforcement issues include:

• Mobile homes placed in gardens without permission when used as separate dwellings
• Exceeding the number of caravans permitted on a licensed site
• Residential use of holiday caravan sites (a frequent issue in coastal areas)
• Mobile homes on agricultural land without a genuine agricultural need
• Structures that no longer meet the legal definition of a caravan (because they've been modified to become permanent)

When a Caravan Stops Being a Caravan

If a mobile home is modified so that it can no longer be moved (for example, by building permanent foundations, brick walls around the base, or permanent extensions), it may lose its legal status as a caravan and become a building requiring planning permission in its own right.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put a static caravan in my garden to live in?

You can place a caravan in your garden for use ancillary to the main house (guest room, office, etc.) without planning permission in many cases, provided it meets permitted development size limits. However, using it as a separate, independent dwelling requires planning permission for a change of use.

Do mobile homes pay council tax?

Yes, if a mobile home is someone's primary residence, it's liable for council tax. The Valuation Office Agency will assess it and assign a council tax band. Holiday caravans on commercial sites are typically assessed for business rates by the site owner.

Can I place a mobile home on Green Belt land?

It's very difficult. Mobile homes in the Green Belt constitute "inappropriate development" unless they're genuinely ancillary to an existing dwelling or fall within the specific exceptions in the NPPF (such as agricultural workers' dwellings). You'd need to demonstrate "very special circumstances" to overcome the presumption against development.

How long does planning permission for a mobile home last?

Standard planning permission lasts 3 years. However, councils often grant permission for mobile homes (particularly agricultural workers' dwellings) on a temporary basis — typically 3-5 years. You'd need to apply again before the permission expires.

Is a log cabin or garden room classed as a mobile home?

It depends on whether the structure meets the legal definition of a caravan — i.e., whether it's capable of being moved. Many garden buildings are constructed on-site and cannot be moved without being dismantled, meaning they don't qualify as caravans. Purpose-built garden rooms delivered as complete units may qualify.

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Further Reading

Related Guides

• How to Appeal a Planning Decision
• Permitted Development Rights Explained
• Planning Enforcement: When Rules Are Broken
• What Are Material Planning Considerations?
• Conservation Areas and Planning
• Planning Permission for Change of Use
• Retrospective Planning Permission

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• Birmingham City Council Planning Applications
• Bristol Planning Applications

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Mobile home and caravan planning policies vary dramatically by region. Rural areas, coastal districts, and National Parks have particularly strict rules.

• Planning in Wales — Separate planning system, different caravan site licensing rules
• Planning in the South West — Coastal caravan restrictions, National Park constraints
• Planning in the East of England — Coastal static caravan concentrations, rural mobile home policies
• Planning in Scotland — Different licensing regime, Highlands & Islands specific policies

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