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How Much Does It Cost to Start an RV Park?

By Muhammad Tayyab Shabbir, Business Plan Firm, the US practice of Avvale, a London consultancy. Published 11 September 2026.

Verify every fee, flow rate and threshold below with the named agency before committing capital. Rules change and county practice varies. Sources were retrieved on 11 September 2026, and where a source's own figures carry an earlier publication date, that date is given inline.

Cost at a glance: what one RV site costs to build

Below is a per-site component build-up published by Outdoor Hospitality Weekly for a 100-plus-site, good-to-excellent quality park with land excluded, reproduced in MMCG Invest's US RV Park and Campground Market Outlook 2026 (Michal Mohelsky, J.D., 1 August 2026). MMCG's own reference list dates the underlying build-up to 10 August 2024. Treat these as 2024 costs, not 2026 costs, and escalate them with your contractor before you budget.

That subtotal excludes, and you must add separately: land; design and engineering at 10 to 20 percent of project; utility extension, where a three-phase first-pole charge alone can run $26,000; amenities (pickleball court $20,000 to $45,000, commercial pool from $30,000 into six figures, 2,000 square foot clubhouse near $500,000); and any package wastewater plant, which can exceed $1 million. All from the same source.

The band above is tighter than its own source on the line that matters most. The same MMCG report puts sewer and septic at $2,000 to $12,000 a site, not the flat $2,500 carried in the build-up. Substitute $12,000 and the per-site high becomes roughly $50,100 on our arithmetic, not $40,600, and a 100-site park runs to about $5.01m rather than $4.06m. Sewer and septic is the line this page elsewhere calls the binding constraint, so price it from your own soil evaluation rather than from either published figure. For resort-grade product, MMCG Invest puts all-in cost including land at $40,000 to $70,000 per pad, and a full bells-and-whistles resort at $60,000 to $80,000 per pad on practitioner estimates.

What actually drives the cost of an RV park?

Three variables reconcile almost the whole per-site cost spread quoted elsewhere: whether land is included, the amenity level, and terrain plus distance to utilities.

The one founders underestimate is electrical service. The National Electrical Code counts a 50-ampere RV site at 12,000 volt-amperes against 3,600 for a combined 30/20-ampere site (NEC Table 551.73). Twenty 50-ampere sites are therefore 240,000 volt-amperes before diversity, and at the 45 percent demand factor Table 551.73(A) assigns a park of that size, about 450 amps of service at 240 volts. Your 30/50-ampere mix is a service-sizing decision, not a marketing choice, and the demand factor is where published examples most often go wrong, so have your engineer run the table for your own site count. Under the 2023 NEC, at least 40 percent of new RV sites with electrical supply must carry a 50-ampere 125/250-volt receptacle, at least 70 percent a 30-ampere 125-volt receptacle, and every such site at least one 20-ampere 125-volt receptacle. NFPA 1194, Standard for Recreational Vehicle Parks and Campgrounds, is now in its 2026 edition, adding requirements for EV charging pedestals.

What license do you need to operate an RV park, and who issues it?

There is no federal RV park license. It is a state matter. In the three states set out below, the same pattern repeats under different names: a state health or environmental agency, plan review before you break ground, and an annual permit fee scaled to the number of spaces.

Florida is the clearest published example. RV parks and recreational camps are permitted by the Florida Department of Health through the county health departments under Chapter 513, Florida Statutes, and Chapter 64E-15, Florida Administrative Code, on DH Form 4037. Rule 64E-15.010 requires a first-time application at least 30 days before operations begin, and requires anyone constructing a new park to submit plans drawn to scale showing the tract's area and dimensions, space numbers, the location and size of every proposed RV or tent space, roadways and any added service buildings.

The fee will surprise you. Rule 64E-15.010(3)(d) provides that a mobile home, recreational vehicle and/or lodging park "shall pay an annual fee based on $4.00 per space which shall not be less than $100.00 not more than $600.00". A commercial recreational camp pays "$4.00 per equivalent space which shall not be less than $100.00, not more than $600.00", counting each 2 campers as one equivalent space. A 150-site Florida park pays $600 a year for its operating permit. That rule was last amended 30 December 2009, so confirm current practice with your county health department. Pages that tell you to budget a large permits and licensing line are not describing the license. They are describing the engineering.

California permits RV parks as Special Occupancy Parks through the Department of Housing and Community Development under Title 25 of the California Code of Regulations. Michigan licenses campgrounds through the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy under Part 125 of the Public Health Code, Act 368 of 1978, and requires a construction permit first. We could not retrieve a verified current fee for either and will not estimate one: ask each agency in writing.

What permits do you need before you break ground?

Five gates, roughly in this order. The second decides how big your park can be.

1. Zoning or conditional use approval. Outside unincorporated jurisdictions, RV parks are rarely a by-right use. MMCG Invest identifies the dominant national pattern as a conditional use permit or special exception, which turns approval into a discretionary public hearing, and names organized neighbor opposition as the most common reason a project dies there. Greene County, Tennessee moved RV parks from by-right agricultural use to conditional use in 2024, and Putnam County, Florida eliminated RVs on vacant lots the same summer.
2. Onsite sewage treatment and disposal permit. The binding constraint on site count. Florida's rule, now administered by the Department of Environmental Protection at Rule 62-6.008, assigns 75 gallons per day per vehicle space for an RV space for overnight stay with water and sewer hookup, and 50 gallons per day without. Multiply your intended pad count by your state's per-space flow figure, take it to a soil evaluation, and you have your legal maximum. A 100-pad full-hookup plan in Florida is a 7,500 gallon-per-day system. If the soil will not take it, you do not have a 100-pad park, whatever the site plan says.
3. Water supply. A system with at least fifteen service connections, or one regularly serving an average of at least twenty-five individuals daily at least 60 days a year, meets the federal definition of a public water system at 40 CFR 141.2, and monitoring, reporting and operator obligations attach. Work out where your own park falls against that definition with your engineer before you assume it does not apply.
4. Stormwater and erosion control. Ground disturbance above your state's threshold triggers Clean Water Act construction stormwater permit coverage through your state agency. We could not verify an acreage trigger at a primary source, so do not budget against a number you read online: confirm the trigger, the threshold and the permit name with that agency.
5. Electrical permitting against NEC Article 551 and, where adopted, NFPA 1194: pedestal amperage mix, service sizing and GFCI protection.

How long does approval take?

MMCG Invest's 2026 outlook puts the regulatory overlay at roughly three to six months and low tens of thousands of dollars for a simple expansion in a permissive jurisdiction, and 18 to 36 months or more, and hundreds of thousands of dollars, for a ground-up resort in a restrictive one. Geography decides which you are in. Much of unincorporated Texas has no zoning at all, so a developer answers to state environmental rules rather than a hearing room; rural Florida and Arizona are comparatively permissive; California coastal zones, Colorado mountain counties and New England towns are, on that report's assessment, effectively closed. SBA credit approval runs on its own clock on top of this, and the timeline belongs to your individual lender.

How do buyers finance an RV park, and is it an SBA special purpose property?

Here is the verified position from SOP 50 10 8, effective 1 June 2025. Note that SOP 50 10 8.1 takes effect 1 October 2026 and applies to applications issued an SBA loan number on or after that date. If you are applying now, you will most likely receive your loan number after that date and be governed by 8.1 rather than by the version set out below. We have not verified which of the provisions quoted here carry over unchanged, so put every SBA figure on this page to your lender against 8.1 before you rely on it.

First, eligibility. RV parks are not automatically eligible. SOP 50 10 8, Section A, Chapter 1, printed page 20, states: "Hotels, motels, recreational vehicle parks, marinas, campgrounds, or similar types of businesses are eligible if more than 50% of the business's revenue for the prior year is derived from transients who stay for 30 days or less at a time and the business complies with all zoning and other legal requirements." A start-up's projections must show that. The same page states that mobile home parks are not eligible. Hence a real tension: the long-stay annual and seasonal bookings that stabilize your income are exactly the revenue that can push you out of SBA eligibility.

Second, special purpose. RV parks and campgrounds are not on SBA's enumerated Limited or Special Purpose Property list at printed pages 355 to 356. That list runs to 25 entries including amusement parks, marinas, golf courses and "Hotels, motels, and other lodging facilities", but not RV parks. The SOP introduces it with the words: "This list is not intended to be all-inclusive and SBA may determine that other properties meet the Limited or Special Purpose Property definition." It also requires CDCs to address whether the project property is limited or special purpose in their credit memorandum and explain their conclusion. The question is decided on your deal, not by a list, and you should expect it to be asked.

What that does to your equity. Under 504, all borrowers contribute at least 10 percent; a new business at least 15 percent; a business with a limited or special purpose property at least 15 percent; and a project that is both at least 20 percent, in which case the debenture finances no more than 30 percent with at least 50 percent from banks or other financial institutions, state or local government, or foundations. For 7(a), SBA considers an equity injection of at least 10 percent of total project costs necessary for a start-up, meaning one year or less of revenue from intended operations.

How much you can borrow. The 7(a) maximum is $5,000,000 and the 504 gross debenture ceiling is $5,000,000, except energy public policy projects and small manufacturers. Effective 4 July 2026, SBA decoupled the two, so one borrower can access up to $5 million in 7(a) and $5 million in 504 at once, a combined $10 million, announced 18 May 2026.

How the credit performs. MMCG Invest tabulated SBA loan-level FOIA files and found RV parks and campgrounds charged off at 0.91 percent of disbursed 7(a) loans against 4.66 percent for the whole SBA book, fiscal 2010 through March 2026, and 2.63 percent against 6.11 percent on the fully seasoned 2010 to 2016 cohort. That is a better-than-average credit, worth putting in front of a hesitant lender.

What do the operating economics look like?

Newmark's 2026 Valuation and Advisory market survey, as reported by MMCG Invest, puts going-in cap rates near 8.0 percent for Class A and B parks and near 9.0 percent for Class C. Revenue per site depends almost entirely on tenure mix: Innowave Weekly, cited in the same report, estimated roughly $7,000 of reservation revenue per site across the KOA franchisee portfolio, about $5,000 at Equity LifeStyle's annual-heavy RV portfolio, and about $10,000 at Sun Communities' resort-style portfolio. The national weighted average nightly rate in July 2026 was $103.60. Build your expense side from the actual operating statements of the park you are buying, or from contractor and utility quotes for the park you are building, rather than from a published expense ratio.

Is building a new RV park viable for you right now?

Often, no. Here is the sentence the cost-range listicles will not print. MMCG Invest's 2026 outlook states: "Ground-up resort construction at 2026 costs requires roughly $12,000 of revenue per site per year to clear a development hurdle, against the $5,000 to $10,000 that operating parks actually achieve."

MMCG works it through as follows. A $60,000-per-site resort build needs about $6,000 of net operating income per site, roughly $12,000 of revenue at a 50 percent margin, which at $103.60 a night is about 116 occupied site-nights a year, roughly 32 percent annualized occupancy, before ancillary income. MMCG puts the season-equivalent figure at 64 to 68 percent; on our own arithmetic a 183-day season gives about 63 to 64 percent. The 50 percent margin there is MMCG's own assumption rather than a benchmarked figure, so test it against real operating statements before you lean on it. Achievable in a genuine destination market. Not achievable in most places, and the more amenities you add, the wider the gap.

For most buyers, acquiring an existing park with a proven rate and occupancy history beats building one. Build when you have demonstrable destination demand, a permissive jurisdiction and soil that will take the flow. Buy otherwise. If your honest answer to why here is that the land was cheap, that is the answer telling you no.

What makes RV park projects fail?

• Buying land before the soil evaluation. Septic capacity caps the pad count, the pad count caps revenue, and revenue caps value. Get the flow calculation done at option stage.
• Assuming zoning. A conditional use permit is a political decision, not an administrative one.
• Under-sizing electrical service, then discovering the three-phase extension cost after the pro forma is fixed.
• Building the revenue mix that disqualifies the loan. Filling the park with annual tenants stabilizes income and can cost you SBA eligibility under the more-than-50-percent transient test.
• Flood exposure. Whether guests' rigs, park models and your own structures are insurable against flood, and on what terms, is a question for your carrier and your counsel rather than an assumption. Settle it in writing before buying river frontage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to build a 50-site RV park?

On the build-up above, roughly $1.53 million to $2.03 million in hard construction with land excluded, at $30,600 to $40,600 per site. That is our arithmetic, 50 times the per-site subtotal, on a build-up published in August 2024, so escalate it. Add land, design and engineering at 10 to 20 percent of project, utility extension and amenities, and allow for sewer and septic running well above the $2,500 a site the build-up carries. Small parks carry worse economics: a pool or clubhouse costs the same at 20 sites as at 100, so cost per site falls only with scale.

Do I need a license to run an RV park?

Usually yes, and in the states below it comes from a health or environmental agency, not a business licensing board. Florida permits RV parks through the Department of Health via county health departments under Chapter 513, Florida Statutes. California permits Special Occupancy Parks through HCD. Michigan licenses campgrounds through EGLE. There is no federal license. We have not surveyed all fifty states, so confirm your own state's requirement before you buy land.

How much is an RV park operating permit?

Less than you expect. Florida's annual park permit fee is $4.00 per space with a floor of $100.00 and a ceiling of $600.00, under Rule 64E-15.010(3)(d), Florida Administrative Code. The large permits and licensing line items quoted elsewhere are engineering, plan review, septic and stormwater permitting, not the operating license. Other states set fees differently, so ask the named agency for its current schedule.

How many RV sites can I put on an acre?

Your septic permit answers that before your site plan does. Florida assigns 75 gallons per day per RV space with water and sewer hookup under Rule 62-6.008, so 100 full-hookup pads is a 7,500 gallon-per-day design flow. Soil percolation, setbacks and local density rules apply on top. Run the calculation with a licensed engineer before committing to a parcel.

Can you get an SBA loan for an RV park?

Yes, subject to a test most buyers have never heard of. SOP 50 10 8 requires more than 50 percent of the prior year's revenue to come from transients staying 30 days or less, and start-ups must show that in their projections. Mobile home parks are not eligible at all. 7(a) tops out at $5,000,000 and 504 at a $5,000,000 gross debenture; since 4 July 2026 the two can be combined to $10 million. SOP 50 10 8.1 takes effect on 1 October 2026, so check these provisions against it with your lender.

How much money do you need down for an RV park?

For a 7(a) start-up, SBA considers an equity injection of at least 10 percent of total project costs necessary. For 504, at least 10 percent as standard, at least 15 percent if you are a new business or the property is a limited or special purpose property, and at least 20 percent if both apply. Those are SBA minimums under SOP 50 10 8, which 8.1 supersedes on 1 October 2026. What a lender requires on top of the SBA minimum is that lender's own decision, so ask it.

Is an RV park a good investment in 2026?

As an acquisition the credit data is encouraging: RV park 7(a) charge-offs ran 0.91 percent against 4.66 percent for the whole SBA book, fiscal 2010 through March 2026, on MMCG Invest's tabulation of SBA FOIA files. As a ground-up build the development math is currently inverted in most markets, because you need about $12,000 of revenue per site to clear the hurdle and operating parks achieve $5,000 to $10,000.

What a lender will ask you for

Expect to produce: a site plan with a pad count supported by a soil evaluation and a wastewater design flow calculation; evidence of zoning or a granted conditional use permit; a utility will-serve letter and electrical service sizing; a revenue model demonstrating more than 50 percent transient revenue; a three-statement projection with debt service coverage; and, where the property is judged limited or special purpose, an appraisal by an appraiser experienced in the sector. SOP 50 10 8 lists a highly specialized project property as one trigger for SBA requesting a feasibility study.

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Sources

1. SBA, SOP 50 10 8 (effective 1 June 2025): transient eligibility test, printed p.20; 7(a) start-up equity injection, p.131; 504 borrower contribution, pp.354 to 356; Limited or Special Purpose Property list, pp.355 to 356; feasibility study triggers, p.357.
2. SBA, "SBA Doubles Cumulative 7(a) and 504 Loan Limit to $10 Million", 18 May 2026 (effective 4 July 2026); SBA, Issuance of SOP 50 10 8.1 (effective 1 October 2026).
3. Florida Administrative Code Rule 64E-15.010, Permits and Fees (last amended 30 December 2009); Florida Department of Health, Mobile Home and RV Parks program page (DH Form 4037).
4. Florida Administrative Code Rule 62-6.008, System Size Determinations (Department of Environmental Protection).
5. 40 CFR 141.2, definition of public water system.
6. NFPA 70, National Electrical Code 2023, sections 551.71 and 551.73, including the Table 551.73(A) demand factors; NFPA 1194, 2026 edition.
7. Michal Mohelsky, J.D., MMCG Invest LLC, "US RV Park and Campground Market Outlook 2026: Full Campgrounds, Unforgiving Math", 1 August 2026, itself citing Outdoor Hospitality Weekly (development cost build-up of 10 August 2024), Innowave Weekly and Newmark's 2026 Valuation and Advisory survey.

All sources retrieved 11 September 2026.

This page is general information, not legal, engineering or investment advice. Fee schedules, flow rates and SBA procedure change. Verify with the named agency before committing capital.

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