Renting out land for camping

Hipcamp's host guide puts basic tent sites at $20 to $40 a night, which is provider guidance, not booking data. Hipcamp takes 15% of each booking from private landowners. The worked example below shows what is left on an RV site.

Hipcamp requires identity verification and a background check, and zoning rules for paid camping depend on your county or city. This suits people who already own usable land and can accept income that only arrives on booked nights.

How the money works

On Hipcamp, guests pay Hipcamp, which deducts its commission. It pays hosts the Tuesday after guest checkout, not check-in, by direct deposit or PayPal. The host guide gives $30 to $75+ a night for RV sites with hookups.

Harvest Hosts works the other way. Members pay Harvest Hosts a yearly membership and then stay with no camping fee and no minimum purchase. Hosts earn from on-site spending, and 100% of it stays with the host. Harvest Hosts cites an average member spend of $50 per host visit. That is its own figure, and it is spending at the business, not income to a landowner.

What campsite hosts actually earn

No independent source reports typical camping host earnings. The rows below are Hipcamp's own guidance plus a BLS benchmark for employed lodging managers.

Hipcamp's yearly figures are revenue before commission and costs, and Hipcamp states no sample or method for them. The BLS figure covers employees in lodging management and excludes the self-employed.

Where the hours go

The calculator assumes 30 unpaid minutes per booked night for messaging, site checks and cleanup. That is an assumption, not a sourced figure.

What it costs to start

Hipcamp's toilet guide covers what campers must have, and it publishes no price.

Where to find campers

Harvest Hosts targets businesses such as farms and wineries, and routes private properties to Boondockers Welcome. Per the Harvest Hosts help center, Boondockers Welcome stays are free, hookup fees are capped at $15 a night, and hosts must be available 100 of 365 days. Campspot's marketplace listing is only for its software customers.

Zoning, insurance and tax rules in the U.S.

Zoning and permits. The SBA says zoning is local and can apply even to home-based businesses, so call your county or city planning office before listing. Rules on septic, fire and lodging taxes vary by place. Hipcamp has a help page on sales and occupancy taxes.

Insurance. Hipcamp's protection page says its policy is excess to homeowner's insurance, primary if you have none, applies only to valid bookings made through hipcamp.com, and excludes hosts with homeowner or renter liability claims in the past three years. Direct bookings fall outside it, so ask your own insurer whether a homeowner or farm policy covers paying campers.

Taxes. The IRS lists renting out property as gig work and says that income is taxable and reportable even without an information return. See the IRS page on self-employment tax for when it applies.

Risks and red flags for landowners

Hipcamp's Property Protection Plan reimburses up to $10,000 for camper damage and is not insurance. It excludes vehicles in motion, trees and lawns, loss of income, and wear and tear. Damage must be reported within 14 days of checkout, claim review takes two to three weeks, and Hipcamp doesn't reimburse your own labor on repairs.

Hipcamp's terms let it suspend or terminate a host's services for any reason at its sole discretion.

Who campsite hosting fits, and who should skip it

Fits you if:

• You own land with room for campsites and a toilet, and zoning allows paid stays.
• You can accept income that rises and falls with season and weather.
• You run a farm, winery or similar business and want RVers to spend on site: Harvest Hosts fits.

Skip it if:

• You have no land. Renting out a spare room uses space inside your home instead.
• You own an RV but not land. Renting out your RV earns from a vehicle you already own.
• You need money in the next few weeks. Setup, vetting and zoning checks come before the first booking.

How to start hosting campers

1. Call your county or city planning office and ask whether paid camping is allowed on your parcel. The SBA permits page explains why zoning applies.
2. Ask your homeowner or farm insurer whether paying campers are covered, then read Hipcamp's protection page to see what its policy adds.
3. Plan toilet access using Hipcamp's toilet requirements guide.
4. Compare your planned rates with Hipcamp's host earnings guide.
5. Create a host listing and complete Hipcamp's host vetting steps.
6. Set up payouts. Direct deposit requires a Stripe account with ID details.
7. If you run a business and want RV guests, review the Harvest Hosts host page, which needs space for at least one self-contained RV.