Published
An RV park needs five acres before anything else.
There is a hard floor on the land, and it is five acres
Recreational vehicle parks look like a natural use for awkward ground near a highway, and around St. Anthony the traffic to Yellowstone makes the idea come up regularly. Fremont County's standards are short, and they open with a threshold that settles a good many schemes immediately.
“Overall density of not more than eight (8) spaces per acre shall be allowed for Vacation Recreational Vehicle Parks or Extended Occupancy Parks. No parcel of land containing less than five (5) acres may be used for the application and operation of a recreational vehicle park.”
— Fremont County Development Code, 2011 Edition (Ordinance 2011-04), Appendix N, section 1.04, Park Size and Density. Consolidated through Ordinance 2026-03. Retrieved 1 September 2026
Two numbers, both worth committing to memory. Five acres is a floor on the parcel, not a guideline — no parcel below it may be used for an RV park at all. And eight spaces per acre is the ceiling on density.
Multiply them and the smallest permissible park is a meaningful undertaking rather than a side project on a spare corner. That is the practical effect of the appendix and it is deliberate.
Single ownership, like a manufactured home park
The ownership structure mirrors the county's approach to manufactured home parks, and the language is equally firm.
Recreational vehicle parks must be under single ownership. The park cannot be a subdivision or condominium, and may not individually sell, assign, or deed a recreational vehicle space to any other.
So this is a rental business on a single title. Selling individual sites — a model that exists elsewhere and that people sometimes arrive intending to replicate — is outside what this appendix permits. Anyone building a pro forma on site sales should establish that before going further, because it is not a detail that can be negotiated at approval.
What else you are allowed to operate on site
The incidental uses provision is more generous than most people expect, and it is the part that makes a park viable as a business rather than merely as a field with hookups. Incidental uses are permitted for the convenience of park occupants, and the appendix lists what may be included.
| Permitted incidental use | Note |
|---|---|
| Dwellings for owner and/or managers and staff | On-site accommodation is contemplated rather than merely tolerated |
| Office | The administrative base for the park, and the place occupants check in |
| Laundry, showers and rest rooms | The core service block |
| Indoor and outdoor recreational facilities | Both are named |
| Sales of items related to maintenance and operation of recreational vehicles | Retail, but confined to RV-related goods |
| Assembly rooms | Named separately from recreational facilities, so the two are distinct permissions rather than one |
| Boat storage and launching | A significant permission in this part of the state, and one that needs ground and access designed for it rather than found later |
There is one condition on all of it, and it governs the timing rather than the substance: no incidental use is permitted unless approved as part of the approval of the recreational vehicle park.
That sentence is the one to act on. An incidental use added later is not covered by the original approval, so everything you might eventually want has to be in the application at the outset — the office, the laundry, the store, the boat ramp. It costs nothing to include a use in an application and a great deal to add it afterwards.
Before drawing anything, the questions that decide whether a parcel can carry a park at all:
- Is the parcel five acres or more, since below that the appendix forbids the use outright?
- What is the maximum space count at eight per acre, and does the geometry actually accommodate it?
- Is the intended model rental on a single title rather than the sale of individual sites?
- Which incidental uses will ever be wanted, given none may be added after the approval?
- Is it a vacation park or an extended occupancy park?
- How will water and wastewater be handled at that number of spaces?
- What are the surrounding uses, whose character and integrity the appendix's purpose names as something the standards exist to protect?
- Is there room for the incidental uses as well as the spaces, since offices, laundries and boat storage all occupy ground the density calculation does not account for?
What the standards are for
The purpose clause is more informative than purpose clauses usually are, because it defines who the park is for. The standards are intended to provide for the accommodation of visitors to Fremont County who travel to or within the County by recreational vehicle and reside in a recreational vehicle park, to create a safe, healthful and beneficial environment for occupants, and to protect the character and integrity of surrounding uses.
Two things follow from that framing. The use contemplated is visitors, which sits behind the density provision naming both Vacation and Extended Occupancy parks as categories. And the protection of surrounding uses is written into the purpose, which means neighbouring compatibility is part of what an approval is assessed against rather than an afterthought.
Testing a parcel against the standards
- Measure the parcel first. Below five acres the answer is no, and nothing else in the appendix matters.
- Apply the eight-spaces-per-acre ceiling to get a maximum count, and treat it as a ceiling rather than a target.
- Decide whether the park is a vacation park or an extended occupancy park, since the appendix names both categories in the same density provision.
- Confirm the business model is rental on a single title, because spaces may not be sold, assigned or deeded individually.
- List every incidental use you might ever want — office, laundry, showers, rest rooms, recreation, RV-related retail, assembly rooms, boat storage and launching — and put all of them in the application, since none is permitted unless approved as part of it.
- Think about the surrounding uses early, because protecting their character and integrity is named in the appendix's own purpose.
- Work out the wastewater question separately and early, since a park of this size is a substantial flow and that is its own regulatory subject with its own thresholds.
The appendix is short, permissive in what it allows on site, and unambiguous about the two numbers that decide feasibility. For a parcel over five acres near a highway it is a genuinely open door — and like most things in this county the sequencing matters more than the substance, in the same way two separate clocks run on an ordinary building permit. And as always the first question is whether the ground is inside the city or in the county.
Common questions
How much land do I need for an RV park in Fremont County?
At least five acres. The appendix states that no parcel of land containing less than five acres may be used for the application and operation of a recreational vehicle park. It is a hard floor rather than a guideline.
How many RV spaces per acre are allowed?
Overall density of not more than eight spaces per acre is allowed, for either Vacation Recreational Vehicle Parks or Extended Occupancy Parks.
Can I sell individual RV sites?
No. Recreational vehicle parks must be under single ownership, cannot be a subdivision or condominium, and may not individually sell, assign or deed a space to any other party.
What can I operate alongside the RV park?
Incidental uses for the convenience of occupants: dwellings for owner, managers and staff; an office; laundry, showers and rest rooms; indoor and outdoor recreational facilities; sales of items related to RV maintenance and operation; assembly rooms; and boat storage and launching.
Can I add a store or laundry later?
Not under the original approval. No incidental use is permitted unless approved as part of the approval of the recreational vehicle park, so every use you might eventually want should be in the application at the outset.
Is boat storage really allowed?
Yes. Boat storage and launching appear in the appendix's own list of permitted incidental uses, which is a significant permission in this part of the state — subject to being approved as part of the park's approval.
What is the difference between a vacation park and an extended occupancy park?
The appendix names both categories in its density provision, applying the same eight spaces per acre ceiling to each. Which category a park falls into is a question to settle with the county at application.
Who are RV park standards written for?
The purpose clause names visitors to Fremont County who travel to or within the County by recreational vehicle and reside in a park, and states the aim of creating a safe environment for occupants while protecting the character and integrity of surrounding uses.
Does neighbouring compatibility matter?
Yes. Protecting the character and integrity of surrounding uses is written into the appendix's own purpose clause, which makes it part of what an application is assessed against rather than a secondary consideration.