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A chalet, capsule or expandable container house on a Flemish campsite: exemption or permit?
On a campsite in Flanders, the regional rules do not make the permit for a new rental unit depend on its size or on its wheels, but on whether it counts as movable accommodation. Here is what the Flemish texts say, who decides, and what to get in writing before you order.
Movable or non-movable accommodation: the distinction that decides
In Flemish law, a campsite or a holiday park is a terreingerelateerd logies: accommodation under central management where guests camp or stay on a delimited site, in movable or non-movable units (verblijven). The order implementing the accommodation decree defines both kinds (Logiesbesluit, articles 1 and 2):
- Movable accommodation (verplaatsbaar verblijf): a tent, trailer tent, motorhome, camper van, touring caravan, static caravan (stacaravan) or any other comparable unit.
- Non-movable accommodation (niet-verplaatsbaar verblijf): a chalet, bungalow, holiday cottage, hikers' cabin (trekkershut), pavilion or any other comparable unit, for which a permit or a planning extract shows that it is permitted or deemed permitted.
A non-movable unit therefore only has its place on a campsite once it has a permit. A movable unit can be exempt.
When is a movable unit exempt from a permit?
No environmental permit for planning works (omgevingsvergunning voor stedenbouwkundige handelingen) is needed to place, move, alter or replace movable accommodation, even when it is meant to stay in place, together with its ancillary installations, provided that (exemption order, Vrijstellingsbesluit, article 8.4):
- the units stand on a terreingerelateerd logies that meets the conditions of article 4 of the accommodation decree (Logiesdecreet);
- placing them does not breach those conditions.
Article 4 of the Logiesdecreet lists ten conditions. Four of them bear directly on your project: the site meets the specific fire safety standards, the operator holds liability insurance, the accommodation is built and operated in line with planning rules, and it is registered (aangemeld) with Toerisme Vlaanderen.
What can still rule the exemption out?
The exemption applies only where the works do not conflict with:
- a regional, provincial or municipal planning regulation (stedenbouwkundige verordening), or the express conditions of a permit;
- a municipal spatial implementation plan (RUP), a special zoning plan (BPA) or a subdivision permit less than fifteen years old;
- the rules on protected monuments, townscapes, landscapes and archaeology.
It does not apply at all in the five-metre strip along a classified watercourse, in the easement zone of a ditch of general interest or in a delimited bank zone, nor to works that need an environmental impact report, an appropriate assessment or a mobility study (Vrijstellingsbesluit, articles 1.2 to 1.6).
These plans and regulations differ from one municipality to the next. That is why the first question goes to your municipality.
No wheels: does a capsule count as movable?
None of the Flemish texts we read makes wheels a condition. The test is in the operating conditions that every campsite must meet: movable units remain movable by their design and their intended use (Logiesbesluit, annex 6, point B.3, f). Only these additions to the unit are allowed:
- a front awning and a rear awning;
- a canopy;
- a raised deck;
- steps and stairs for access.
The awnings, the canopy and the steps must be easy to remove and must not get in the way of moving the unit.
Planning law, for its part, calls a construction anything that rests on the ground for its stability and is meant to stay in place, even if it can be taken apart or moved (Flemish Spatial Planning Code, VCRO, article 4.1.1, 3°). The exemption of article 8.4 covers movable units precisely when they are meant to stay in place. The real question is therefore whether your unit is comparable to a static caravan, or to a chalet.
Our units have neither wheels nor a towbar. They arrive finished, are unloaded by crane and set on non-anchored supports, adjustable jacks or pads. Your municipality decides whether a unit without wheels counts as movable accommodation: ask for its position in writing before you sign the quote, and describe how the unit is placed (no foundations, supports not anchored, a deck and steps that can be removed, how it is connected).
Is a capsule a trekkershut?
The name alone does not settle it: the test is the unit's design and intended use. But the Flemish list of non-movable accommodation names the trekkershut (hikers' cabin) next to the chalet and the bungalow (Logiesbesluit, article 1, 7°). If your municipality considers your unit comparable to one of them, it is non-movable and needs a permit.
Glamping has no status of its own either: the order protects names such as camping, holiday park (vakantiepark) or camper site, not glamping (Logiesbesluit, articles 7 to 13). Pods and cabins on a glamping site follow the same rules as on any other terreingerelateerd logies.
What if your unit counts as non-movable?
Then you need an environmental permit for planning works before placing it: no one may put up or place a construction without one (VCRO, article 4.2.1). In its version in force since 1 March 2026, the code allows a simple notification (melding) to replace the permit only for temporary works (VCRO, article 4.2.2).
- No architect required for placing a non-stacked, movable, prefabricated or modular construction of up to 50 m² and 3.5 m high (order of 23 May 2003, article 1/1, 3°/1). Our units are 2.48 to 3.2 m high without their supports: check the height once the unit is set on them.
- A planning certificate (stedenbouwkundig attest) tells you, on the basis of a plan, whether a permit application can reasonably pass the test of the planning rules. It is valid for two years and does not replace the permit (VCRO, article 5.3.1).
- More operating rules: non-movable units let by the campsite must also meet the conditions for room-based accommodation (kamergerelateerd logies) (Logiesbesluit, annex 6, point B.13), and stricter fire safety standards (see below).
The accommodation decree requires a campsite to be built and operated in line with planning rules, and Toerisme Vlaanderen can revoke a registration when the campsite no longer meets that condition (Logiesdecreet, articles 4, 9°, and 5). A non-movable unit placed without a permit can therefore put the registration of the whole campsite at risk.
Pitch rules: 80 m², half the pitch, one unit
On every long-stay pitch (verblijfplaats), touring pitch and seasonal pitch (Logiesbesluit, annex 6, point B.3):
- the pitch measures at least 80 m²;
- the vertical projection of all constructions above ground level covers at most 50% of it;
- at least 25% of it has no paving, not even gravel;
- only one unit stands on it (the operator may allow two extra sleeping tents next to it).
| Unit and footprint | Room left for a raised deck within the 50% limit |
|---|---|
| Alcôve 14, 6.0 × 2.3 m (13.8 m²) | 26.2 m² |
| Belvédère 27, 8.3 × 3.3 m (27.4 m²) | 12.6 m² |
| Escale 36, expanded, 5.9 × 6.3 m (37.2 m²) | 2.8 m²; with a 15 m² deck, the pitch needs at least 104.4 m² |
How many rental units on a campsite or in a holiday park?
- Camping (a site offered under the name camping or kampeerterrein): at least 30 touring pitches, or at least 15% of all places. At most a third of these required touring pitches may be replaced by long-stay pitches with a unit that you let to the same guests for no more than 31 consecutive days, by motorhome pitches, or by places on the tent field, where five places count as one touring pitch (Logiesbesluit, annex 7, point B.2).
- Holiday park (vakantiepark): at least 60% of all places carry a unit that you let to the same guests for no more than 31 consecutive days, and at most 30% are touring, seasonal, motorhome or tent-field places (annex 9, point B.3).
Apart from these proportions, the order sets no regional ceiling on the number of rental units.
Fire safety: what changes when you add units?
A campsite can only operate with a fire safety certificate A (or B). The emergency services zone (hulpverleningszone) checks the site, and the burgomaster issues the certificate, which is valid for eight years and states the maximum number of places (fire safety order for tourist accommodation, articles 3 to 6).
Certificate A lapses automatically, among other cases, when you increase the number of places, or when you install, renew, change or extend an electrical network that the regulations require to be inspected. It stays valid until your new application has been dealt with, if you apply within 30 days of the end of the works; a simplified certificate Abis can then cover the works alone (articles 6, 7 and 9).
The fire safety standards for campsites (annex 4) also set out where units stand:
- at least 4 m from the site boundary, or 2 m per site where two sites adjoin;
- in groups of no more than four, with at least 4 m, measured on the ground, between units or groups;
- within 60 m of an internal road usable by the emergency services;
- with no more than four gas bottles per pitch, and 200 litres in all;
- with an explanatory fire note for staff and guests, in Dutch, French, German and English at least.
Non-movable units let by the campsite must also meet the fire standards for room-based accommodation (annex 2, 2/1 or 3, depending on capacity), checked as part of the campsite's certificate. Movable rental units, such as static caravans, only follow annex 4 (Toerisme Vlaanderen, notes on annex 4).
Under annexes 2 and 2/1, for example, each rental unit has two means of escape. One is enough only if the unit is a single open space (sanitary facilities aside) with a direct exit, on the escape level, with a gross floor area of no more than 30 m² and no cooking equipment on the escape route. A door or a window that opens and allows easy escape can serve as the second means of escape.
Electricity and energy: what applies?
- Each long-stay pitch and seasonal pitch has its own electrical connection of at least 4 A (Logiesbesluit, annex 6, point B.11): plan the supply your units actually need.
- The campsite's low-voltage installation is inspected by an approved body every five years (fire safety order, annex 4, chapter 6). Our turnkey price includes the inspection of the electrical installation by an approved body.
- The EPB energy requirements do not apply to stand-alone buildings with a total usable floor area under 50 m², an area measured as the gross floor area (Energy Order, article 9.1.22; Energy Decree, article 1.1.3, 124°/1). With 37.2 m² overall, the Escale 36, our largest unit, stays below it.
Registering with Toerisme Vlaanderen
- The operator registers the campsite with Toerisme Vlaanderen, by registered letter or electronically, within 14 calendar days of offering it on the market. For a terreingerelateerd logies, the form states the number of places (Logiesbesluit, article 14).
- Any change to the registered data, such as the number of places, is reported within 30 calendar days (article 15).
- Every terreingerelateerd logies holds a certificate or document showing that the land-use designation of the area allows it; Toerisme Vlaanderen provides a model form (article 6).
Before you order: what to get in writing
- Your municipality's position that the units count as movable accommodation (verplaatsbaar verblijf), and that no planning regulation, RUP, BPA or subdivision permit rules them out. Otherwise, the permit route: a planning certificate, then the permit.
- The size of your pitches: at least 80 m², with the unit and its deck on no more than half.
- The fire safety certificate: your new application within 30 days of the end of the works, and the distances between units and from the boundary.
- The electrical supply on each pitch, and the inspection of the extended installation.
- The update of your registration with Toerisme Vlaanderen if the number of places changes.
A refused or delayed permit does not entitle you to cancel the order without compensation: that is why the written position comes before you sign the quote. We supply the technical file for these steps: drawings, wiring diagram, list of components and the available reaction-to-fire classifications.
Our units and their turnkey prices in Belgium
- Alcôve 14, capsule for two, 13.8 m², 6.0 × 2.3 × 2.5 m: from €47,400 excl. VAT
- Belvédère 27, family capsule, 27.4 m², 8.3 × 3.3 × 3.2 m: from €63,900 excl. VAT
- Escale 36, expandable container house with two bedrooms, 37.2 m² overall, 5.9 × 6.3 × 2.48 m expanded: from €39,100 excl. VAT
Turnkey prices excluding VAT, for a standard pitch: the unit delivered to your pitch, customs duty, installation and connections by the partner installer named in your quote, inspection of the electrical installation by an approved body and commissioning. The exact price is confirmed in your written quote.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for a chalet on a Flemish campsite?
Yes, in principle. The Logiesbesluit lists the chalet among non-movable accommodation, which only has its place on a campsite once a permit or a planning extract shows that it is permitted.
Is a static caravan exempt?
The static caravan (stacaravan) is listed as movable accommodation. On a campsite that meets article 4 of the Logiesdecreet, placing one needs no permit, unless a local plan or regulation rules it out (Vrijstellingsbesluit, articles 1.3, 1.4 and 8.4).
Does a unit without wheels need a permit?
It depends on whether your municipality treats it as movable accommodation. The texts do not require wheels: they require the unit to remain movable by its design and intended use. Get the municipality's position in writing before you order.
Is there a separate glamping permit in Flanders?
No. Glamping is not a protected name: pods, cabins and tents on a glamping site follow the rules for any terreingerelateerd logies, with the same exemption for movable accommodation.
Can I add a deck next to the unit?
A raised deck is one of the additions allowed to movable accommodation. It counts in the 50% of the pitch that constructions may cover, and the unit must remain movable.
Do the EPB energy rules apply?
Not to a stand-alone building with a total usable floor area under 50 m², measured gross. All our units are under 50 m².
Is your campsite in Wallonia? The rules there are different: see our guide to adding accommodation units to a campsite in Wallonia.
General information, based on official sources read on 26 October 2026 (Vlaamse Codex, Toerisme Vlaanderen). It does not replace the position of your municipality or your emergency services zone, or advice from a lawyer. Rules change: check the current version before you commit.