Can you live in an RV on your land in Apache County?

By Noam & Carmit · Last checked November 2026

You found an acre near Sanders. Before anything else, you probably want to know if you can pull the RV onto it and stay a while.

Here is what we know, where each piece comes from, and the one phone call that settles it for your parcel.

The short answer

A short stay is one thing. Living there is another. Camping for a few days is usually fine. Staying for weeks or months is where the county wants to know about it, and where wastewater becomes the real question.

What the county data on our lot says

Before we bought lot 207-61-184, near Sanders, we ordered a due diligence report on it. Its county data section lists the rules for that parcel:

• An RV can stay up to 14 days.
• Past 30 days, it needs a septic hookup.
• A house needs a county building permit. A manufactured home must be 15 years old or newer. Mobile homes are not allowed.

That parcel is zoned residential vacant land / agricultural general. Rules can differ by zoning and by area, so don't assume a parcel elsewhere in the county works the same way.

Camping permits and RV dwelling permits

Apache County Planning & Zoning meeting materials from January 2022 describe two separate permits: one for camping in an RV, and an RV dwelling permit for living in one while there is no house on the parcel, or while a house is being built under a building permit.

We have not been able to confirm how those rules read today, what they cost now, or whether every part of that policy was adopted as written. That's exactly what to ask.

Why septic comes up

An RV's holding tanks fill up. For a weekend, you dump at a station on the way home. For a longer stay, the county wants the waste going somewhere approved, which means a septic system and a permit for it. In Apache County, septic permits go through the county's environmental health office.

The five questions to ask the county

Call Apache County Community Development at (928) 337-7526. Have the parcel number (APN) ready. Then ask:

1. How many days can I camp in an RV on this parcel without a permit?
2. Do I need a camping permit, an RV dwelling permit, or both?
3. What does each one cost, and how long is it good for?
4. Do I need a septic system before I can stay longer?
5. Can you send me that in writing?

For the septic part, the Apache County Health Department is at (928) 337-7607.

A written answer for your specific parcel is worth more than anything you read online, including this page.

If you're looking at one of our lots

Both of our lots near Sanders are listed with their APN, zoning and the county numbers. Call before you pay us anything. We'd rather you did.

See the two lots