Caravan site and campsite licences in the Harrogate area

This service is delivered differently in each area of the county. This information relates to the former district of Harrogate. Looking for information in another area of the county? You can change the location here.

If you allow your land to be used by the public as a camping site for more than 42 days consecutively, or 60 days in a year, you need a licence from us.

Do I need a licence?

If you allow your land to be used by the public as a camping site for more than 42 days consecutively, or 60 days in a year, you need a licence from us.

For a caravan site, please contact our planning department first as you may need planning permission. Contact us.

For more guidance on whether or not you need a licence, read the caravan and camping site exemptions and conditions on the Government website.

Apply for a licence

You must have planning permission before you apply for a licence.

Your application must include:

Please return your completed application to us. Contact us for details.

There is no fee. If your application is successful, you should receive your licence within 60 days. 

Relevant protected caravan sites

You can see the fees for relevant protected caravan sites here.

Touring caravan exemption

You can find the exemptions from the need for a touring caravan site licence at Natural England on the Government website

Park home sites

Most residential caravan sites are what are known as relevant protected sites. You can find more information about relevant protected sites on the Government website.

Park home fees policy

You can read our park home fees policy here.

The Mobile Homes (Requirement for Manager of Site to be Fit and Proper Person) (England) Regulations 2020

The Mobile Homes (Requirement for Manager of Site to be Fit and Proper Person) (England) Regulations 2020 introduced a fit and proper person test for mobile home site owners or the person appointed to manage the site, unless exempted by the regulations.

Unless the site is exempt, the site owner must either:

  • be a fit and proper person to lawfully operate a park home site
  • have a fit and proper site manager in place

Apply online

Site owners operating a relevant protected site must apply to the council for the relevant person (themselves or their appointed manager) to be included on the local register of fit and proper persons to manage a site.

A site owner may only apply if they hold or have applied for a site licence for the site.

Applications are online only and payment must be made before the application can be submitted.

Apply online

 

DBS certificate 

The person applying to be entered on the register will need a basic DBS certificate, no more than six months old and from an approved supplier. This must be included with the application. 

You can find out how to arrange a DBS check on the Government website.

Exempt sites

A site is exempt if it's "a non-commercial family occupied site". This is a site only occupied by members of the same family and not being run on a commercial basis.

The regulations provide further detail about this exemption, see The Mobile Homes (Requirement for Manager of Site to be Fit and Proper Person) (England) Regulations 2020 on the Government website for more details.

Cost

The application cost to be added to the fit and proper persons register is:

  • £275.56

View our licensing fees and charges.

If we appoint a site manager the costs for making the appointment will be recouped from the occupier.

Fit and proper person fee policy

What we will consider

To be sure that the relevant person is a fit and proper person to manage the site, and to add them to the register, we will consider a number of factors, not limited to the following:

  • past compliance with the site licence
  • the long term maintenance of the site
  • whether the relevant person has sufficient level of competence to manage the site
  • the management structure and funding arrangements for the site or proposed management structure and funding arrangements

We'll also consider whether the relevant person:

  • has the right to work within the UK
  • has committed any offence involving fraud or other dishonesty, violence, arson or drugs or listed in Schedule 3 to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (offences attracting notification requirements)
  • has contravened any provision of the law relating to housing, caravan sites, mobile homes, public health, planning or environmental health or of landlord and tenant law
  • has contravened any provision of the Equality Act 2010 in, or in connection with, the carrying on of any business
  • has harassed any person in, or in connection with, the carrying on of any business
  • has had an application rejected by any other local authority
  • is, or has been within the past 10 years, personally insolvent
  • is, or has been within the last 10 years, disqualified from acting as a company director

We also may consider the conduct of any person associated or formerly associated with the relevant person (whether on a personal, work or other basis), if it appears that person's conduct is relevant.

For more information about what we consider please see our fit and proper person determination policy

Public register

If the council deems the ‘relevant person’ to be suitable, they will be included on the local register of fit and proper persons to manage a site. A site may have more than one ‘relevant person’ registered, for example, a larger site.

 You can see the fit and proper person public register here (xlsx / 28 KB).