State guide: Georgia

Living in an RV on Your Property in Georgia

By Michael Wojciak, founder, Agile RV Housing. Last updated November 12, 2026.

In Georgia, the answer comes from your county's zoning code, or your city's code if your home is inside city limits. Some Georgia codes have a written route for living in a camper or RV on a lot for a set period. Others have no written rule for it, and the local zoning office decides how your lot is handled.

This guide is for homeowners whose house was damaged by fire, water or storm and who want a camper, travel trailer, fifth wheel or RV on their own property while it's repaired. That's temporary housing during an insurance-covered repair, and homeowners insurance usually pays for it. It isn't about living in an RV full time.

Who decides if I can live in an RV on my property in Georgia?

If your home is inside city limits, the city's zoning code and planning office decide. If it's in an unincorporated part of the county, the county's zoning code and zoning office decide. The two codes can say different things about the same camper, so the first step is finding out which office covers your address.

Conyers shows how much that matters. It's the county seat of Rockdale County, and it has its own zoning code with a written permit route for temporary housing during reconstruction. Rockdale's county code has no such route. Two homes on either side of the city line can fall under different rules.

Lamar County's Building and Zoning Department lists its area as the unincorporated parts of the county. If your address is inside a town like Milner in Lamar County or Danielsville in Madison County, check with the town before relying on the county code.

What do Georgia county codes say about living in a camper during repairs?

We read five codes. Lamar County and Madison County each have a written route for living in a camper or RV on a lot for a set period, and the City of Conyers has one for a manufactured home during reconstruction. Rockdale County and Carroll County have no written provision for a temporary RV during repairs, so the zoning office decides how the code applies.

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Lamar County

Lamar County's zoning ordinance lists "camper or motor home for temporary living quarters at construction site" as a permitted use in the A-R district (Sec. 504(a)(17)). The camper sits in the rear of the property, and a valid building permit has to be in place for the building under construction. The ordinance's travel trailer definition says it can't be used as a permanent dwelling. We didn't find the same camper line in the R-1 district, so if your lot is zoned something other than A-R, ask the Building and Zoning Department how it applies. A decision by the zoning officer can be appealed to the board of appeals within 30 days (Sec. 406).

Madison County

Madison County's zoning ordinance has a written permit for living in an RV on a lot: a Temporary Housing Hardship permit from the Planning & Zoning Office, good for six months, with six-month extensions from the Board of Commissioners (Sec. 8.6). The RV needs a utility pole approved by Planning & Zoning with a Building Inspection permit, a septic connection approved by the Health Department, and water from a potable water hose. The section has other conditions, including one RV per tract. Ask Planning & Zoning how they apply while your home is being repaired. The same ordinance lets a manufactured home serve as a temporary residence for up to 12 months after a fire or natural disaster, with the Zoning Administrator's approval (Sec. 9.1.3.4).

City of Conyers

Inside Conyers city limits, the city code lets a manufactured home serve as a temporary residence for up to 12 months while a home destroyed by natural disaster or condemnation is rebuilt (Sec. 8-7-92.38(D)). It needs a permit, and it has to be removed within 60 days after the certificate of occupancy or approval for permanent electrical power. The section names manufactured homes. Ask Planning & Inspection Services whether a travel trailer or fifth wheel can use the same permit route. Decisions can be appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals and Adjustments (Sec. 8-7-128).

Rockdale County

Rockdale's code does not list an RV as an allowed accessory structure and has no written provision for a temporary RV during repairs (Sec. 218-7(o)). Ask the Department of Planning and Development how the code applies to your lot during repairs, and get the answer in writing. A staff decision can be appealed to the Board of Adjustment within 15 days under Sec. 238-8.

Carroll County

Carroll County's zoning code sets strict limits on living in an RV and has no written provision for a temporary RV during repairs (Sec. 102-5). The approval route is a written determination from Community Development, with appeal to the Community Development Appeals Board (Sec. 102-13).

Not sure what your county allows? Get a free zoning check for your exact property. Most reports are ready in a few minutes, with what the code says and a link to every source.

How do I get approval for a camper on my property in Georgia?

Call the zoning office for your address before the RV arrives. Tell them it's temporary housing while an insurance claim pays to repair your home, and ask which permit or approval covers it. Have your claim number and your building permit, if you have one, ready. Ask for the answer in writing, by email or on the permit itself.

What the office asks for depends on its code:

• In Madison County, the request is an application to Planning & Zoning for the Temporary Housing Hardship permit, and the hookups come first: the utility pole approval, the Building Inspection permit and the Health Department septic approval.
• In Lamar County, the building permit for your repair is part of the approval, since the code ties the camper to "a valid building permit." Pull it before the RV is set.
• In Conyers, the question is whether the city will issue its temporary residence permit for a travel trailer or fifth wheel instead of a manufactured home.
• In Rockdale and Carroll counties, you're asking staff how the code applies to your lot. Get that decision in writing. In Rockdale, it starts the 15-day window to appeal to the Board of Adjustment.

For any office, plan for power, sewer or septic, and water before you call. Our RV utility setup page covers how those hookups work.

One more Georgia code is worth knowing if a fire damaged your home. Chattooga County's mobile home ordinance lets the occupants of a home "destroyed or otherwise rendered uninhabitable by fire or natural calamity" apply to the Manufactured Building Inspector for an emergency occupancy certificate to use an RV as a dwelling, for up to 12 months. It's listed with other local rules on our guide to temporary housing after a house fire.

Does homeowners insurance pay for an RV while my house is repaired?

Usually, yes, if your policy includes additional living expenses, also called ALE or loss of use. That coverage pays the extra cost of living somewhere else while your home can't be lived in. Some policies set a dollar limit, and some also set a time limit (NAIC), so check yours and ask your adjuster what's covered.

Georgia's Office of Commissioner of Insurance lists additional living expenses among what a standard homeowners policy covers, described as the "additional costs to live somewhere else if your home is uninhabitable." The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency tells homeowners whose house can't be lived in to ask their insurer about coverage for additional living expenses. Keep receipts for what you spend. The insurance office's guidance after a disaster says to save documents and receipts for increased living expenses.

Can I choose an RV instead of a hotel for temporary housing?

Yes. You choose where you live while your home is repaired, and your policy pays covered costs up to its limits. An RV on your own property is a common choice that carriers approve. It keeps you next to the repair work, your pets and your belongings. Tell your adjuster early that this is the housing you want.

Read more about choosing your temporary housing and how homeowners insurance covers an RV on your property.

What does an RV from Agile cost in Georgia?

$120 to $140 a night, tax included, with a 30-day minimum stay. On covered insurance claims we bill the carrier directly, so there's usually no upfront payment from you. We bring a travel trailer or fifth wheel to your property, set it up, and provide 24/7 support for the length of the stay.

We place RVs in all 48 contiguous states, Georgia included. The price is the same whether your lot is in a county with a written permit or one where the zoning office decides.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Living in an RV on your property: the national guide
• Living in an RV on your property in North Carolina
• Living in an RV on your property in Florida
• Living in an RV on your property in Texas
• Temporary housing after a house fire
• How RV power, water, and sewer setup works
• What temporary housing actually costs, by region

Not sure what your county allows? Get a free zoning check for your exact property. Most reports are ready in a few minutes, with what the code says and a link to every source.

Talk it through

Get a free zoning check for your exact address, or call us and we'll talk through your claim and your lot. You can also request a callback.