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Adding accommodation units to a campsite in Wallonia: planning permission, PEB, fire safety and electricity

Since 1 July 2025, campsites in Wallonia are registered with Tourisme Wallonie rather than authorised, and a unit without wheels raises the question of planning permission. Here is what the Territorial Development Code (CoDT), the Walloon Tourism Code and the PEB decree say, and what to get in writing before you order.

What changed on 1 July 2025: registration and certification

• Registration is compulsory. No one may operate tourist accommodation without registering it with Tourisme Wallonie (Walloon Tourism Code, article D.III.21). Registration requires a fire safety certificate or, where applicable, a simplified control certificate (D.III.23), and the form includes a declaration on honour that you hold every authorisation required, in particular for planning (R.III.24-2).
• Certification is optional. Camping touristique is one of its categories, and only certified accommodation may use that name (D.III.27).
• Former authorisations. A campsite authorised under the former code is deemed certified as a camping touristique until its authorisation expires, provided it is validly registered (decree of 8 February 2024, article 23).
• Changes. Any change that may affect the conditions of registration or certification is reported to Tourisme Wallonie within 60 days (D.III.25 and D.III.33).

Fixed or mobile shelter: where does a unit without wheels fit?

The Tourism Code calls the units on campsite pitches shelters (abris):

• a mobile shelter (abri mobile) is a movable or easily dismantled accommodation installation, brought by the guest or made available by the operator (article D.I.1, 1°, as worded since the decree of 26 March 2026);
• a fixed shelter (abri fixe) is accommodation made available by the operator and present, without interruption and immobile, throughout the opening period (article R.I.1, 1°).

A rental unit that stays on its pitch for the whole season fits the definition of a fixed shelter.

Planning permission: why the exemption for mobile shelters may not cover your units

The CoDT requires planning permission (permis d'urbanisme) to build, or to use land to place fixed installations. That includes placing an installation, even of non-durable materials, whose support ensures its stability and which is meant to stay in place, even though it can be dismantled or moved (CoDT, article D.IV.4, 1°).

The regulatory part of the code exempts from permission, with no architect required, the placing of mobile shelters within the meaning of article 1 D, 2° of the Walloon Tourism Code, on cumulative conditions (table of article R.IV.1-1, heading V.1, in force since 1 July 2025):

• the shelter has a floor area of no more than 50 m²;
• placing it needs no significant change to the ground level;
• it stands on a tourist campsite or a farm campsite authorised under the Tourism Code, on an authorised caravan site, or on a campsite authorised by the German-speaking Community;
• it is not in a zone with a high flood hazard.

The definition this heading refers to is that of the former Tourism Code, repealed on 1 July 2025: a structure designed to be easily dismantled or transportable (former article 1 D, 2°). Under that code, a mobile shelter on a campsite also kept its towbar and wheels, permanently and in working order (former article 249/3).

Our units have neither wheels nor a towbar, and they stay in place for the season: planning permission is likely. The municipal college (collège communal) decides on the application, depending on the case without an opinion, on the prior opinion or on the binding opinion of the delegated official (fonctionnaire délégué) (D.IV.14). An architect is not compulsory for placing one or more installations, fixed or mobile (R.IV.1-2, 3°).

How to get the municipality's position before you order

• A project meeting (réunion de projet): before filing a certificate or permit application, you can ask to meet the municipal college or the delegated official. You receive an invitation within 15 days, and the minutes you draw up are not a decision (D.IV.31).
• A planning certificate no. 2 (certificat d'urbanisme n° 2), issued by the municipal college: its assessment of the principle and conditions of a permit remains valid for two years for the points it covers, subject to the consultations and to the rules staying the same (D.IV.14 and D.IV.98).

One unit per pitch, a third of the pitch, 4 m and 20 m: the certification rules

In a certified tourist campsite, the certification grid sets these conditions (Tourism Code, regulatory part, annex 3):

• at least 25% of the pitches are reserved for touring guests (touristes de passage);
• shelters, fixed or mobile, cover no more than a third of their pitch, awning and deck included;
• one shelter per pitch;
• at least 4 m between shelters;
• mobile and fixed shelters are grouped in clearly separate zones;
• pitches keep a grassy appearance;
• a 20 m isolation margin separates the accommodation units from pre-existing neighbouring homes.

Each square metre of deck adds 3 m² of pitch: with a 12 m² deck, an Escale 36 needs a pitch of at least 147.6 m².

Flood zones: where can units go?

In a certified tourist campsite, shelters, fixed or mobile, are allowed in the parts of the flood zone with a medium, low or very low hazard, with planning authorisation where the CoDT requires it. In the high-hazard zone, mobile homes, storage sheds, hedges, fences and similar installations are banned all year (R.III.31-3).

The operator can ask the appeals chamber (Chambre de recours) for a derogation, by showing that works carried out since the hazard map was drawn up reduce the hazard, or that the map contains a manifest error. The chamber is bound by unfavourable opinions from the Walloon public service and the burgomaster (R.III.31-4). The CoDT exemption for mobile shelters does not apply in a high flood-hazard zone either.

Check your pitches on the official flood hazard map (cartographie de l'aléa d'inondation) before choosing where the units go.

PEB: no energy requirements under 50 m²

The PEB requirements do not apply to buildings to be constructed with a total usable floor area under 50 m², and no PEB certificate is required below that size (PEB decree of 28 November 2013, articles 10, 5°, and 36, 3°). The usable floor area is measured between the outer walls, without their thickness (article 2, 12°): inside, the Escale 36 measures 35.2 m² with its 75 mm walls, and the capsules are smaller.

If your project needs planning permission, attach the PEB exception form to the application (Walloon PEB flowchart, June 2026).

Fire safety: a new certificate after adding units

The fire safety certificate (attestation de sécurité-incendie) is obtained for each building or part of a building, and a unit, a covered space surrounded by walls, fits the code's definition of a building. The burgomaster issues the certificate, which is valid for five years (D.I.1, 8°, and D.III.72 to D.III.74).

It lapses, and a new one must be obtained, in particular when new rooms for guests may increase the maximum capacity, when a gas or electricity network is installed, modified or extended, and for any transformation that needs planning permission. The previous certificate remains valid until the new application is decided, if you apply no later than 30 days after the end of the works (D.III.74).

• The application goes to the burgomaster by certified mail, and one application can cover several buildings. It comes with a certificate of conformity for the electrical installation, the heating and any gas installation (R.III.72).
• The fire prevention service of the emergency zone (zone de secours) reports within 60 days, and the decision is notified within 90 days of the burgomaster receiving the application (R.III.72).
• The standards are those of annexes 9 and 10 for a building for fewer than 10 people where guests sleep only on the escape level and the level above it, plus annex 15 for tourist campsites (R.III.73).
• At the burgomaster's request, the operator proves that the fire behaviour rules for building elements and materials are met (annex 15). We supply the available reaction-to-fire classifications in the technical file.

What each unit for fewer than 10 people needs (annex 10)

• autonomous smoke detectors, CE-marked and to NBN EN 14604, in each guest bedroom, in the access area to it (stairwell included) and in the living room, tested before each letting;
• a portable fire extinguisher to NBN EN 3, checked every year by a competent person from a qualified company;
• no portable heaters, no combustion heaters in rooms where people sleep, and only CE-marked electric heaters without exposed elements;
• a means of calling the emergency number 112 at any time, even during a power cut, with a notice in French, Dutch, German and English.

Electricity: inspection by an approved body

In every tourist accommodation, the low-voltage installation is checked for conformity by a body approved by the minister responsible for energy: before it is put into use and whenever important modifications or extensions are made, then every five years. The report before putting into use must show no infringement (Tourism Code, annex 9, point 2.3).

Extending the campsite's network to new units also makes the fire safety certificate lapse (D.III.74). Our turnkey price includes the first inspection by an approved body.

Subsidies for certified tourist campsites

Within the budget available, the Region can subsidise works and equipment for the creation, extension and modernisation of tourist campsites (D.IV.82). The rate is 40%, which can be increased by up to 10% in some cases, with a ceiling of €80,000 per application and a project of at least €5,000; the aid falls under the EU de minimis rules (R.IV.86-2 to R.IV.86-4).

Before you order, note that:

• the applicant holds a certification that remains valid for at least a year after the application (R.IV.84);
• the expenses start at the earliest on the day the application is filed (R.IV.84);
• movable goods are bought from an approved company (entreprise agréée) (R.IV.83);
• a campsite can apply again at the earliest in the third year after the year of its last subsidy (R.IV.86-1).

We cannot tell you whether a unit bought from us qualifies: ask Tourisme Wallonie before you order.

Before you order: what to get in writing

1. Your municipality's position on planning permission, through a project meeting or a planning certificate no. 2, before you sign the quote.
2. Your registration and, if you want the name and the subsidies, your certification as a camping touristique.
3. The size of your pitches (unit and deck on no more than a third), 4 m between units and 20 m from pre-existing neighbouring homes.
4. The flood hazard of each pitch, on the official map.
5. The new fire safety certificate: your application no later than 30 days after the works, with the certificate of conformity for the electrical installation.
6. The notice to Tourisme Wallonie within 60 days of any change affecting your registration or certification.

A refused or delayed permit does not entitle you to cancel the order without compensation: that is why the municipality's 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

Is your campsite in Flanders? The rules there are different: see our guide to placing a chalet, capsule or expandable container house on a Flemish campsite.

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