Current legislation on motorhomes

What is the current legislation on motorhomes?

More and more Spaniards are opting for a motorhome holiday. The feeling of freedom, the possibilities to go anywhere without the need for schedules, without scripts. To be able to say: if I don't like it, I'm leaving, if I love it I'll stay two more days. Owning your vacation is, without a doubt, one of the attractions most valued by lovers of this type of tourism, but due to the characteristics of this type of vehicle and the use that can be made of them, it has been necessary to adapt the legislation current about motorhomes.

A popular vacation option in Europe

When it comes to the adoption of the motorhome as a model for holidays, in Spain we are a little behind the rest of Europe. We can see this in the campsites, where a large number of users come from other parts of our continent.

It can also be seen in some sports broadcasts, such as the Tour de France. In all the stages we can see endless caravans that accompany the race. In countries such as Belgium, Holland and France, many people's vacations are to follow the Tour in a motorhome. However, these types of vehicles have to benefit from special legislation, since they can incur practices that, depending on the place, may be enough to sanction us.

Difference between camping and parking

Where can I camp with my motorhome? If the vehicle is parked on public roads, correctly, adapting to municipal regulations, you can make full use of it, since its interior is for private use. Thus, you are parked if:

  • The single contact with the ground It is through the wheels. The exception are the chocks that you can put in case of a steep slope.
  • The space occupied by the motorhome does not exceed that of the vehicle itself, that is, it does not have extended awnings, open windows, tables or chairs on the outside, etc.
  • There are no emissions of any type of fluids  (sewage, wastewater) or leaks (apart from those from the vehicle's own combustion).

In these cases the car is properly parked and we cannot be penalized because we are inside, even if it is in the middle of the city. For his part a motorhome is considered to be camped when:

  • Tables or chairs are taken out. In this sense, we advise you to be strict. It may be the case that the user of the motorhome is sitting in front of it, sitting in a chair, and they are fined. While a few meters away there may be a group of neighbors taking the fresh air in their chairs and the agents will not tell them anything.
  • You have the extended awnings or there are elements such as casement windows that exceed the perimeter of the vehicle. Also if the stabilization legs are on or you are pouring.
  • If there are annoying noises. Here there is going to be a "chase" of the motorhome again, since if you are correctly parked, watching TV, and the agent considers that it is too high, he will sanction you. While the one in the car in front, which has the music blasting, doesn't even come close.

Anyway, one option that will always be safe will be to be in a camping, such as those in the Community of Madrid.

Current legislation on motorhomes

In the case of parking lots, municipal regulations apply, since it is a competence transferred to the municipalities, which are the ones who regulate where you can park, for how long and under what conditions. Also, there are concrete specifications to know too what type of driver's license you should have.

For its part, the Ministry of the Interior through the General Directorate of Traffic has regulated aspects related to motorhomes in instruction 08 / V-74, which is the current Legislation on motorhomes, which indicates that "in other aspects such as circulation, stopping and parking, they are governed by the rules applicable in general to all vehicles".

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Comments (6)

GEORGE

Hello to see if you can inform me. I live in Bilbao in a private urbanization that is a cooperative. I have the motorhome parked inside said land which in principle is not municipal land. And in my opinion there are unfounded complaints. es .. What law or regulation can clarify this for me? To argue the defense
Thank you very much.

Barbara

if a caravan is parked on a lot? private or demanial? what's up?

Alfonso

You only mention motorhomes, but is it equally applicable to caravans?
Hooked or unhooked ?.
There is no specific decibel number to decide if the noise is annoying ?.

Comercial Caravaning

Good afternoon,

This particular article is about motorhomes, we will consider making one about caravans. In principle, almost everything is applicable to a caravan, except as mentioned, the caravan must be hooked up.

Thanks a lot.

Bernardo jose Brunet parreño

As the motorhome is cataloged, it is a vehicle for the transport of people, such as a microbus or, as we would say, a car is because of the parking lot, we can park where buses do not park, but those in coves, acquired by hand by the municipalities on their own account to be exploited to your liking without taking consideration of other users

Manu

"However, these types of vehicles have to benefit from special legislation, since they can engage in practices that, depending on the place, may be enough to penalize us."

I would be grateful if you could indicate what that special legislation is for motorhomes. The DGT instruction they cite is applicable to all vehicles. There is, to my knowledge, no special legislation for motorhomes.

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