County mulls RVs as rental units

Should rural property owners be allowed to rent space to RV dwellers? That is the question that will come before the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on Wednesday, May 8.

The Commissioners will hold a public hearing where residents can provide their input on allowing recreational vehicles to be used as rental dwellings.

Following the adoption of Oregon Senate Bill (SB) 1013, which became law in January 2024, the BOCC is considering whether to amend Deschutes County zoning code and permit property owners in rural residential areas to rent out a location for an RV on their property subject to certain conditions.

The baseline criteria for RVs as rental dwellings include:

• A single-family dwelling that is occupied as the primary residence of the property owner must be sited on the property.

• The RV must be owned or leased by the tenant.

• The property owner must provide essential services to the RV space, which are defined as sewage disposal, water supply, electrical supply and, if required by applicable law, any drainage system.

SB 1013 prohibits the following:

• The RV cannot be utilized as a short-term rental.

• RVs as rental dwellings are not allowed in urban reserves.

• There are no other dwelling units on the property besides the primary single-family dwelling and no portion of the single-family dwelling is rented as a dwelling.

The public hearing is scheduled to occur during the 9 a.m. BOCC meeting at the Deschutes Services Building, 1300 NW Wall St. in Bend. Residents can attend the meeting in person or participate virtually. Participants will have three minutes to provide testimony. The meeting agenda and virtual log in information can be found at http://www.deschutes.org/meetings.

For additional information, visit http://www.deschutes.org/rvamendments.

Written testimony may be emailed to [email protected].