Baldwin County Hurricane Isaias Temporary Housing: An RV on Your Property During Repairs

    By Michael Wojciak, founder, Agile RV Housing

    Updated October 7, 2026: Baldwin County is inside the National Hurricane Center's Hurricane Watch, and NHC forecasts 5 to 7 feet of storm surge for Mobile Bay and the coast from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to Indian Pass, Florida (NHC Advisory 4).

    If Hurricane Isaias leaves your Baldwin County house unfit to live in and you have homeowners insurance, Agile RV Housing can place a fully set up RV on your own property while the house is repaired. Your policy's Loss of Use coverage (Coverage D, also called Additional Living Expense) often pays for it once your adjuster approves it, and we work directly with your adjuster.

    Delivery is about four days from approval to move-in. The main variable is scheduling the electrical contractor. The price is $120 to $140 a night, tax included, and our rate has not changed for the storm. Delivery and setup are priced separately for each property. We place units from Bay Minette to Orange Beach and across all 48 contiguous states.

    Call (614) 655-4286

    Isaias and Baldwin County. Tropical Storm Isaias had 45 mph winds at the 10:00 a.m. CDT advisory on October 7. The National Hurricane Center expects it to become a strong hurricane, with winds near 105 to 110 mph, as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast Friday afternoon, October 9. The Hurricane Watch and the Storm Surge Watch both cover the Baldwin County coast, with 5 to 7 feet of surge forecast for the Gulf shoreline and Mobile Bay. Rain of 3 to 6 inches, locally 10, is forecast Friday into the weekend. Coastwide updates are on our Hurricane Isaias temporary housing page.

    Can you live in a camper on your property in Alabama after a hurricane?

    In unincorporated Baldwin County, yes: the county zoning ordinance lets the owner or occupant of a home made uninhabitable by a disaster live in an RV on the property for up to 18 months from the date of damage.

    Baldwin County Planning and Zoning has to approve a site plan before move-in, and the application must be filed within 12 months of the damage. Orange Beach and Gulf Shores run their own recovery permits, and the other Baldwin County cities set their own rules. Agile RV Housing confirms the rule for your exact address before any unit is delivered.

    Unincorporated Baldwin County (zoned planning districts)

    Baldwin County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 12.2.2(a), amended May 20, 2025, sets these conditions:

    • The RV can be lived in for up to 18 months from the date of damage while a home made uninhabitable by any disaster is repaired or rebuilt.
    • Only the owner or occupant of the damaged home may live in it.
    • It goes on the same parcel, or on an adjacent parcel with the same owner.
    • Planning and Zoning approves a site plan before anyone moves in. Apply within 12 months of the damage.
    • The RV must be road ready with a current tag, connected to permitted sewage, and placed outside the front yard.
    • Confirm that your HOA covenants or deed restrictions allow it.

    If you live in a subdivision, find your HOA covenants now so that last step does not hold anything up.

    Orange Beach

    Two provisions apply in Orange Beach. Under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 5.1601, a homeowner may live in an RV for up to 6 months while building or rebuilding. That takes Community Development approval, an active building permit, water and sewer hookups, city garbage service, and placement on the same or an adjacent parcel. One extension of up to 6 more months is allowed.

    Separately, City Code Sec. 14-25(1) lets the mayor, during a declared state of emergency, allow campers or RVs on residents' own property as temporary homes notwithstanding zoning.

    Gulf Shores

    Under Gulf Shores Zoning Ordinance Sec. 6-7.A, an RV needs a temporary permit from the City Council or its designee. For recovery after a hurricane, the Council can grant special temporary permits of up to 6 months, renewable to 18 months in total.

    Daphne, Fairhope, Spanish Fort, Foley, Robertsdale, Bay Minette, and other cities

    Inside city limits, the city's rules apply, and they differ from one city to the next. One city may ask for a permit, while another approves temporary housing on residents' own lots through an emergency order after a major storm.

    Emergency rules can arrive within days of landfall. After Hurricane Zeta in 2020, Diamondhead, Mississippi, adopted a camper resolution for damaged homes six days after the storm. We follow each Baldwin County city's current rule and confirm it for your address through the free zoning check.

    Flood zones

    If your lot sits in a FEMA flood zone, federal rules require an RV to be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, or to be fully licensed and highway ready, meaning on its wheels with quick disconnect utilities. Otherwise it has to meet manufactured home rules (44 CFR 60.3(c)(14)). Baldwin County's own disaster rule points the same way, since it requires the RV to stay road ready with a current tag.

    Does homeowners insurance cover temporary housing in Baldwin County?

    A Baldwin County homeowners policy that covers wind often pays Loss of Use when wind damage makes the house unlivable, and your adjuster can approve an RV on your own property as that housing.

    The answer changes if your house has a homeowners policy that excludes wind and a separate Alabama Insurance Underwriting Association (AIUA) policy for wind. AIUA's published rules list time element coverages, which include living expenses, among the coverages not provided (AIUA). AIUA's limited Fair Rental Value coverage pays lost rent on property you rent to others. In that situation, ask your agent where your living expenses would come from.

    Three things to get from your agent, preferably in writing:

    1. The name of the policy that pays Loss of Use if wind makes the house unlivable.
    2. Your Loss of Use limit, in dollars and in months.
    3. How your hurricane deductible is applied, including to living expenses.

    The standard ISO homeowners form applies the deductible to the total of all Section I loss, and Loss of Use sits in Section I. Alabama insurers handle this in different ways, so get your own insurer's answer. Our ALE coverage guide walks through limits and what counts as an added cost.

    What does loss of use cover in home insurance?

    Loss of Use, Coverage D on a standard homeowners policy, covers "any necessary increase in living expenses incurred by you so that your household can maintain its normal standard of living" when a covered loss makes your home not fit to live in, in the words of the ISO homeowners form.

    For a Baldwin County family, an RV on the lot can be that housing. An Agile RV Housing unit at the top of our $120 to $140 nightly range, tax included, sleeps a family of up to five. In hotels, the same family needs two rooms, and two rooms at typical ALE-approved rates cost more than $140 a night before meals, pet fees, and laundry. The RV draws substantially less against your ALE limit than an extended hotel stay. More on RV housing costs.

    Does flood insurance cover additional living expenses in Baldwin County?

    No. A standard National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy lists "any additional living expenses incurred while the insured building is being repaired" among its exclusions (44 CFR Part 61, Appendix A(1), Section V.A.5).

    With both storm surge and hurricane winds forecast for the Baldwin County coast, a single house can end up with a flood claim and a wind claim. The adjuster decides what each policy pays, and the wind side can still trigger Loss of Use under your homeowners policy. FEMA cannot pay for needs that insurance covers (FEMA), so insured Baldwin County homeowners arrange temporary housing through their insurer. See our flood insurance and temporary housing guide.

    Long-term RV rental in Baldwin County, delivered to your lot

    Agile RV Housing's long-term RV rental in Baldwin County is set up on your own lot for one purpose: housing your family while storm damage to your home is repaired. Loss of Use usually pays for it once your adjuster approves it. The nightly rate is $120 to $140, tax included. Delivery and setup are priced separately.

    Placements run 60 days or longer, then month to month with no maximum. Most families stay about five months, well inside the county's 18-month disaster window. You keep your commute across the Bay, your kids stay in their Baldwin County schools, pets stay with you, and you are on site when the contractor wants to walk the roof at 7 a.m.

    Temporary power pole for an RV in Baldwin County

    Agile RV Housing arranges a licensed electrical contractor to install power for the RV on your Baldwin County lot. If utility power to the house has been cut, your electric utility and that electrician coordinate a temporary power pole.

    Scheduling the electrician is the main variable in delivery, which runs about four days from approval to move-in. We handle the water and sewer hookups. In unincorporated Baldwin County the RV must connect to permitted sewage, so we confirm your septic or sewer connection while the site plan is in review. In Orange Beach, approval also calls for water and sewer hookups and city garbage service. Details are in our RV utility setup guide.

    How do you get temporary housing for an insurance claim near Gulf Shores, Foley, or Daphne?

    Ask your adjuster for an RV on your own property as your Loss of Use housing, and get the approval in writing. An RV on your own lot is commonly approved as ALE housing even when the first option offered was a hotel, so a Baldwin County homeowner can ask for it at any point in the claim.

    You choose who provides your temporary housing. Your insurer or its housing agency may suggest a provider, and the choice stays yours. When an agency manages the housing, tell your housing specialist you want Agile RV Housing. We are a preferred vendor with the national temporary housing agencies, including ALE Solutions, Alacrity, Sedgwick, CRS, and National Corporate Housing, and we work with all of them. In unincorporated areas, we start the county site plan at your first call so it does not wait on insurance approval.

    How we have done this

    Agile RV Housing has made over 100 long-term placements in the last two years. Founder Michael Wojciak brings 10 years in RV rental and fleet operations, and Agile is a preferred vendor with the national temporary housing agencies.

    For a Baldwin County placement, that means we know the order that works: site plan or city permit first, then adjuster approval, then the electrician and the hookups, so move-in is not held up waiting on paperwork from the county or the city.

    Call (614) 655-4286. Tell us your Baldwin County address and what happened, and we will tell you which rules apply and what to ask your insurer. Or run the free zoning check for your address first.

    Prefer a call back? Leave your number and we will call you.

    Call (614) 655-4286

    Request a call back

    We'll call you back. For the fastest answer, call (614) 655-4286.

    Optional, but it helps us move faster with your adjuster.

    Frequently asked questions

    How long can I live in an RV on my property in unincorporated Baldwin County after a hurricane?

    Up to 18 months from the date of damage, under Baldwin County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 12.2.2(a), while a home made uninhabitable by a disaster is repaired or rebuilt. Baldwin County Planning and Zoning has to approve a site plan before you move in, and the application has to be made within 12 months of the damage.

    Can I live in an RV in Orange Beach while I rebuild?

    Orange Beach Zoning Ordinance Sec. 5.1601 lets a homeowner live in an RV for up to 6 months while building or rebuilding, with Community Development approval and an active building permit, plus one extension of up to 6 months. During a declared state of emergency, the Orange Beach mayor can also allow RVs on residents' own property under City Code Sec. 14-25(1).

    What does Gulf Shores require for an RV after a hurricane?

    Gulf Shores requires a temporary permit from the City Council or its designee, under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 6-7.A. For hurricane recovery, the Gulf Shores City Council can grant special temporary permits for up to 6 months, renewable to 18 months in total.

    My Gulf Shores house has a separate AIUA wind policy. Where would my housing money come from?

    The Alabama Insurance Underwriting Association's published rules list time element coverages, the category living expenses fall under, as not provided. Your agent can tell you whether your homeowners policy pays Loss of Use for wind damage that leaves the house unlivable. If it does, your adjuster can approve an RV on your lot as that housing.

    I live in Fairhope, Daphne, or Foley. Can I get an RV on my lot?

    Each Baldwin County city writes its own rules on temporary housing. Some ask for a permit first, and some allow temporary housing on your own lot through an emergency order after a major storm. Agile RV Housing confirms the rules for your exact address before anything is delivered, through the free zoning check or at (614) 655-4286.

    Does my HOA have a say about an RV in Baldwin County?

    Yes. Baldwin County's disaster RV rule, Zoning Ordinance Sec. 12.2.2(a), asks you to confirm that HOA covenants or deed restrictions allow the RV. Check your covenants early, and tell Agile RV Housing what they say when you call.

    Sources

    Call Now: (614) 655-4286