Motorhome stays on private land in Norway

When do you need to ask?

Always on cultivated land. Farmyards, house plots, fields, meadows and pasture are cultivated land (innmark, friluftsloven section 1 a). The right to roam does not apply there, and you need the owner’s consent to stay overnight (section 9).

In the countryside after two nights. Camping without permission is limited to two nights in the same place (section 9). With a motorhome you rarely get that far: the right to roam does not include motor vehicles off the road (Norwegian Environment Agency). The vehicle must stand on a road or an area built for cars.

In practice: ask whenever you want to stay anywhere other than a public car park. The rules for roadsides and lay-bys are in overnight stays in a motorhome in Norway.

How to ask

Ask in good time, ideally the day before, rather than turning up in the farmyard late in the evening. A short, specific message is easier to say yes to. Include:

• the type of vehicle and its length, including any trailer
• how many of you there are, and whether you have a dog
• which nights, and roughly when you arrive and leave
• whether you need power or water, or are self-sufficient

Example message

Hi! We are two adults travelling in a 7-metre motorhome. Could we stay at your place on the night of 14 July? We would arrive after 6 pm and leave before 10 am. We don’t need power or water and will take our rubbish with us. What do you charge per night?

Landowners who list their pitch on caravanpark.no can be contacted through the form on the listing. The reply comes by email, and you make the arrangement directly with each other.

What to agree

• Price and payment. Per night or per week, and how you pay. caravanpark.no does not handle payments; you settle between you.
• Where to park. Firm, reasonably level ground with room to turn. Ask whether the ground holds after rain.
• Power. Whether there is a socket, which plug it takes, and whether electricity costs extra.
• Water. Whether and where you can fill your tank.
• Waste. Don’t empty grey water or the toilet at your host’s unless it is agreed and the place is made for it. Otherwise use the nearest dump station; municipalities must provide them (forurensningsloven section 26).
• Times and quiet. When you arrive and leave, and whether there are animals, machinery or neighbours to consider.

Responsibility, insurance and spacing

You are responsible for your own vehicle and equipment. Check that your insurance covers you on private land in Norway. caravanpark.no is not a party to the agreement between host and guest and does not cover loss or damage (terms of use).

If several vehicles stay on the same property, keep them apart. On approved campsites, Norwegian building regulations require at least 4 metres between camping units (TEK17 section 11-6). The rule applies to campsites, but it is a sensible minimum anywhere, since the distance is there to stop a fire spreading.

Checklist

1. Cultivated land, or more than two nights? Ask the owner.
2. Send a specific message: vehicle, length, people, dates, needs.
3. Agree price, payment, parking spot, power, water, waste and times.
4. Check your insurance.
5. Leave the place as you found it, and take your rubbish.