Nevada County Planning Director Brian Foss is set to present a zoning ordinance amendment regarding the proposed use of recreational vehicles (RVs), trailers, and campers as long-term housing units on developed properties to the general public and the Nevada County Board of Supervisors during their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, July 28 beginning at 9 a.m. The item is scheduled for the 1:30 p.m. slot at the Eric Rood Center in Nevada City.
The proposed amendment focuses on establishing clearer sets of health and safety standards, permitting and certification requirements, and site development standards for RVs, motor homes, travel campers, and both traveling and camping trailers in order for them to legally be considered an additional dwelling unit on private property in unincorporated areas of Nevada County.
The board of supervisors has been considering an alternative housing/RV dwelling ordinance since late last year. An initial ordinance was drafted by the Nevada County Planning Commission in August 2025 and in November 2025, after numerous revisions, the commission recommended the proposal be presented to the board of supervisors in a narrow 3-2 vote. In a March 2026 meeting, the board of supervisors ultimately voted 4-1 to continue discussions on the matter and request revisions following a public hearing, but did not move to finalize the ordinance.
Ongoing negotiations for an additional housing ordinance involving RVs follows in the footsteps of the board’s adoption of the Tiny Homes on Wheels (THOWs) Ordinance back in February 2025, which currently permits the use of moveable homes no larger than 400 square feet to be used as both primary residences and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) across Nevada County.
Good Neighbor Agreement for wildfire relief
The board is also expected to approve a number of resolutions helping to reduce wildfire risk from the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services on Tuesday, most notably the Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) and Nevada County Community Resilience Project. In partnership with the USDA Forest Service and Tahoe National Forest, these agreements will grant over $7 million through August 2028 to support wildfire mitigation strategies along high priority evacuation routes, as well as fund a number of projects to reduce the risk of roadside wildfires near the Tahoe National Forest, providing some much-needed relief during peak fire season.
To contact staff writer Natalie Hays, email nhays@theunion.com.
