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New mobile home or HLL: which suits your campsite?
A new mobile home and a light leisure dwelling (HLL) host the same holidaymakers, but French planning law treats them differently. Here is what sets them apart for a campsite operator, text by text: where each may go, formalities, standards, development tax, installation and published prices, and when a mobile home is the better fit. Links to the legal texts go to Légifrance, in French.
Mobile home or HLL: what is the difference?
Mobility. A leisure mobile home (résidence mobile de loisirs, RML) is a habitable land vehicle intended for temporary or seasonal leisure use. It keeps the means of mobility that allow it to be moved by towing, but the French Highway Code (code de la route) forbids it to be driven on the road (article R111-41 of the French Planning Code).
A light leisure dwelling (habitation légère de loisirs, HLL) is a building that can be dismantled or transported, intended for the same use (article R111-37). The French Ministry for Regional Planning and Decentralisation made the point about traditional wooden caravans (roulottes): one that has lost its means of mobility is an HLL (answer published in the Senate's Official Journal on 21 August 2025).
Mobility, not shape, decides: a chalet, a capsule or an expandable container house without wheels that can be dismantled or transported is an HLL. Our capsules and our expandable container house are delivered without wheels or a towbar: they are HLLs. Lodgeyard does not sell mobile homes; this guide compares the two sets of rules to help you choose.
The differences at a glance
| Criterion | Mobile home (RML) | HLL |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | A vehicle that keeps its wheels | A transportable building |
| Where it may go | Three types of place | Four types of place |
| Ceiling on a campsite | None (R111-42) | Fewer than 35, or 20% of the pitches |
| Planning formality | None found | None up to 35 m², outside protected areas |
| Standards | NF S56-410 | RE2020, lighter under 50 m² |
| Development tax, base per pitch | €3,000 | €10,000 |
| Setting up | Levelled, can be towed | Craned onto non-anchored supports (our units) |
The detail, article by article, follows.
Where can a mobile home or an HLL go?
| Place | Mobile home (RML) | HLL |
|---|---|---|
| Duly authorised campsite | Yes | Yes, up to a ceiling |
| Campsite created by declaration, natural camping area | No | No |
| Residential leisure park (parc résidentiel de loisirs, PRL) | Yes, with one exception | Yes |
| Holiday village classified for light accommodation | Yes | Yes |
| Approved family holiday centre (maison familiale de vacances) | No | Yes |
| Pitch sold or let for more than two years | Not allowed | Ordinary rules |
| Any other land | No, except rehousing after a disaster | Ordinary rules |
Notes:
- excluded are campsites created by a prior declaration, or by a declaration at the town hall before 1 October 2007, and natural camping areas (aires naturelles de camping);
- the PRL exception: mobile homes are excluded from parks created after 1 October 2007 and run by selling pitches or letting them for more than a year;
- for a family holiday centre, only its outbuildings are covered;
- a pitch sold or let means one on a campsite, in a holiday village or in the outbuildings of a family holiday centre, not in a PRL, and the ordinary rules are those for any building;
- temporary rehousing after a disaster is ordered by the prefect.
Sources: article R111-42, article R111-44 and article R111-46 for mobile homes; article R111-38 and article R111-40 for HLLs. The exceptions are campsites set up as companies registered before 1 October 2011, pitches sold or transferred through company shares before that date and, until they end, lettings of more than two years agreed before it.
On a campsite, the number of HLLs must stay below 35 if the site has fewer than 175 pitches, and below 20% of the total number of pitches otherwise (article R111-38, 4°). Article R111-42 sets no equivalent ceiling for mobile homes.
How large must the pitch be?
The same rule applies to both. On a campsite, a unit may occupy no more than 30% of the area of its pitch, awnings and removable terraces excluded (article A111-7, 3°). In a residential leisure park, the limit is 20% (article A111-9, 3°).
| Model | Footprint | On a campsite (30%) | In a PRL (20%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcôve 14 | 13.8 m² | 46 m² | 69 m² |
| Belvédère 27 | 27.4 m² | just over 91 m² | 137 m² |
| Escale 36, expanded | 37.2 m² | 124 m² | 186 m² |
For residential leisure parks and holiday villages, see our guide to HLLs in residential leisure parks and holiday villages (in French).
Which planning formality?
| Situation | Formality | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Floor area of 35 m² or less | None | R*421-2, b |
| Over 35 m² | Prior declaration | R421-9, b |
| Protected area, whatever the size | Prior declaration | R421-11, II, a |
A prior declaration is a déclaration préalable. The protected areas here are remarkable heritage sites (sites patrimoniaux remarquables), the surroundings of historic monuments, and listed sites or sites being listed.
Floor area (surface de plancher) is measured from the inside face of the external walls, not overall (article R111-22). Our Escale 36 measures 37.2 m² overall and about 34.8 m² inside the walls in its configuration for France, with 100 mm walls: it stays under the threshold.
A prior declaration is sent to the town hall by the landowner, their agent or a person they authorise to carry out the work (article R*423-1). The standard processing time is one month (article R*423-23), plus one month in a remarkable heritage site or the surroundings of a historic monument (article R423-24).
For a mobile home placed on an authorised pitch, we have found no planning formality of its own: the Planning Code treats it as a vehicle. That is our reading of the texts; have it confirmed by the planning department handling your file (service instructeur).
In both cases, terraces, awnings and access ramps stay removable, with no sealing or permanent fixing (article R111-39 for HLLs, article R111-43 for mobile homes).
Creating or extending a campsite for more than twenty people or more than six leisure units (tents, caravans, mobile homes or HLLs) requires a development permit (permis d'aménager). So does a redevelopment that increases the number of pitches by more than 10% (article R*421-19, c and e).
Which standards: NF S56-410 or RE2020?
For the Planning Code, a mobile home is a vehicle that meets standard NF S56-410, Résidences mobiles : définition et modalités d'installation (mobile homes: definition and installation). A vehicle larger than the maximum area set by that standard counts as a mobile home only if it is no more than 50 m² and fitted out for people with reduced mobility (article A111-2). Proof of conformity rests with manufacturers, installers or importers (article A111-3): ask the seller for it.
The latest edition of NF S56-410 dates from July 2026. The European standard NF EN 1647, in its March 2026 edition, sets the habitation requirements relating to health and safety for caravan holiday homes (AFNOR catalogue).
An HLL, for its part, falls under the RE2020 environmental regulations. Since 1 July 2023, they also apply to HLLs exempt from any formality, of 35 m² or less in the authorised places. The article that sets their scope does not mention mobile homes (article R172-1 of the Construction and Housing Code).
For HLLs under 50 m², the requirements are lighter (order of 4 August 2021, article 50-4):
- only lighting power is regulated for an HLL exempt from formalities, an unheated HLL (no flue and no electrical installation that allows heating) and an HLL manufactured before 1 January 2023;
- the others must meet maximum U-values, for example 0.65 W/(m²·K) for walls, and 0.47 for an HLL manufactured from 1 January 2028, with requirements on glazing, lighting and heating.
Placed on a campsite, our three models fall under lighting only. The detail is in our guide HLLs on campsites: the rules (in French).
Development tax: €3,000 or €10,000 per pitch
Where it has been introduced, the development tax (taxe d'aménagement) applies to operations that require an authorisation under the Planning Code, subject to exemptions (General Tax Code, article 1635 quater B): creating or extending a campsite under a development permit, for example.
For pitches, its base is a fixed value (article 1635 quater J):
- €3,000 per pitch for tents, caravans and leisure mobile homes;
- €10,000 per pitch for a light leisure dwelling.
Rates are set locally: 1% to 5% for the municipality or inter-municipal body, up to 20% in some sectors by a reasoned decision, and no more than 2.5% for the département (articles 1635 quater L, M and N).
An HLL of 35 m² or less placed on a campsite is exempt from any planning formality. Before you commit, check whether your project gives rise to the tax, and on what base.
Transport and installation: on its wheels or by crane
A mobile home cannot be driven on the road: it is delivered by a haulier, then put in place and levelled on its pitch. Its means of mobility then allow it to be moved by towing (article R111-41).
Our HLLs arrive finished, on a truck. The partner installer named in your quote:
- unloads the unit by crane;
- sets it on adjustable jacks or pads, as non-anchored supports, following the manufacturer's instructions;
- expands the Escale 36, delivered folded;
- connects water, waste water and electricity, inspects the electrical installation and commissions the unit.
Without wheels, our units are moved by crane, not by towing. Before delivery, truck and crane access is checked in writing: width, slope, ground bearing capacity, headroom. Transport for each capsule is detailed in our guide Capsule houses for campsites (in French). For a first order, allow four to six months from order to delivery (five to seven months for a capsule).
What does a new mobile home cost, and an HLL?
On 24 October 2026, the online list of a French dealer in new mobile homes showed most two-bedroom models, from 29 to 36.5 m², at €34,500 to €45,900, and one timber-clad model at €67,300. These prices are for the unit alone, and the list does not say whether VAT is included. Delivery, levelling, connections and installation are offered on request.
| Item | New mobile home, two bedrooms | Escale 36, expandable container house |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 29 to 36.5 m² as stated | 37.2 m² overall |
| Price | €34,500 to €45,900 for most | From €37,400 excl. VAT |
| VAT | Not stated | Excluded |
| Delivery to the pitch | On request | Included |
| Installation and connections | On request | Included |
The turnkey price of the Escale 36 covers the unit delivered to your pitch, customs duty, crane unloading, setting on non-anchored supports, expansion, connection to water, waste water and electricity, the electrical inspection and commissioning. It offers about 34.8 m² inside the walls in its configuration for France.
Our capsules serve a different purpose, unusual holiday accommodation, at a different price: the Alcôve 14 (13.8 m², one or two people) is offered turnkey from €45,900 excl. VAT, the Belvédère 27 (27.4 m², up to four people) from €63,600 excl. VAT.
To compare, bring each offer to the same scope:
- VAT included or not;
- transport to the campsite, and the crane;
- levelling or installation, connections and commissioning;
- terrace and furniture, included or not.
Our prices apply to a standard pitch: serviced, accessible to a truck and crane, with an electrical hook-up point no more than 15 m away and water and drainage points no more than 10 m away. Import VAT on the unit and the installer's VAT on the installation are added, both deductible for a VAT-registered campsite. The import rules are in our guide Buying accommodation made in China (in French).
Replacing mobile homes with HLLs: what to check
- Your campsite's HLL ceiling, counting the HLLs already in place (article R111-38, 4°). Mobile homes do not count towards it.
- The status of each pitch: if it has been sold, or let for more than two years, the HLL falls under the ordinary rules for buildings, except for cases dating from before 1 October 2011 (article R111-40).
- The area of each pitch: the HLL may occupy no more than 30% of it (article A111-7).
- The floor area of each unit: above 35 m², a prior declaration.
- Your campsite's classification order and development permit.
- Truck and crane access to each pitch, and the distance to the water, electricity and drainage points.
New mobile home or HLL: which to choose?
An HLL is an alternative to a mobile home, not the answer in every case.
A mobile home is the better fit
- if your campsite has reached its HLL ceiling;
- if you want to be able to move the unit around the site by towing;
- if you are creating pitches under a development permit and the development tax matters to your budget: its base is €3,000 per mobile home pitch, against €10,000 for an HLL;
- if you want a unit larger than 35 m² without the prior declaration an HLL of that size would need, within the area limit of standard NF S56-410, or 50 m² for a mobile home fitted out for people with reduced mobility;
- if you must open in less than four to seven months, our lead time from order to delivery, and a mobile home can be delivered sooner.
An HLL is the better fit
- in a PRL created after 1 October 2007 and run by selling pitches or letting them for more than a year, where mobile homes are excluded (article R111-42, 1°);
- in the outbuildings of an approved family holiday centre (article R111-38, 3°);
- for a unit without wheels, placed to stay put: a glazed capsule for unusual holiday accommodation, or a two-bedroom expandable container house for a family.
Compare our three models in the models section of our home page.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need planning approval to place a new mobile home on a campsite?
Not on our reading of the Planning Code, on an authorised pitch of a duly authorised campsite (article R111-42): the mobile home is treated as a vehicle there. Have it confirmed by the planning department handling your file.
Is a mobile home without wheels still a mobile home?
No. A mobile home is defined by the means of mobility it keeps (article R111-41). A unit that has lost them is an HLL, as the ministry pointed out for roulottes.
Do mobile homes count towards a campsite's HLL ceiling?
No. The ceiling in article R111-38, 4°, counts HLLs only: fewer than 35 if the site has fewer than 175 pitches, fewer than 20% of the pitches otherwise.
Can mobile homes go in a residential leisure park?
Yes, except in a PRL created after 1 October 2007 and run by selling pitches or letting them for more than a year (article R111-42, 1°). HLLs remain possible there.
Does RE2020 apply to mobile homes?
Article R172-1 of the Construction and Housing Code, which sets its scope, mentions HLLs exempt from formalities, not mobile homes. Mobile homes are defined by reference to standard NF S56-410 (article A111-2 of the Planning Code).
Does Lodgeyard sell mobile homes?
No. We sell HLLs to campsites, residential leisure parks and holiday villages: two capsules and an expandable container house, delivered, set up and connected by the partner installer named in your quote.
General information, based on official texts read on 26 October 2026 and published prices recorded on 24 October 2026. It does not replace advice from the planning department handling your file. Rules change: check the current version before you commit.