# Mobile Tiny Homes Inside a Johnston County RV Park - Feasibility Addendum

As of April 28, 2026.

Scope: review the current RV-park artifact and test whether the project can add mobile tiny homes that look permanent: small cabin-looking units, likely park-model RVs / recreational park trailers, placed on RV sites with skirting, decks, landscaping, and rules that keep the park from looking like a junkyard.

This is feasibility research, not legal advice, engineering, or county approval.

## Bottom line

Yes, but only if the product is framed and operated as park-model RV / recreational park trailer lodging inside an approved RV park or campground. That is the cleanest legal lane for “mobile tiny homes that look permanent.”

The trap door: the more the units are marketed, occupied, installed, financed, or regulated as permanent homes, the more likely they stop being RV-park inventory and start looking like dwelling units, manufactured homes, a mobile-home park, or a subdivision. That would move the project into a different approval path.

Best first move: do not make the whole park park-model tiny homes. Build the entitlement around the RV park/campground use, then test 4-8 park-model tiny homes as premium rental inventory.

Recommended first underwriting mix:

- 12-16 standard RV sites
- 4-8 park-model tiny homes / cabin-looking PMRVs
- no permanent residency language
- no separately sold sites
- strict design, age, condition, porch, storage, parking, and exterior-clutter rules
- county pre-application call before buying land or ordering units

My take: 4-8 of these could improve the guest product and revenue story. A 20-unit park-model village is legally and financially heavier. Cute cabins do not hypnotize the wastewater department. Rude, but useful.

## What “mobile tiny home that looks permanent” probably means legally

| Product label | What it really is | Best-fit path | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park-model RV / recreational park trailer | ANSI A119.5 unit, usually <=400 sf in setup mode, on chassis/wheels, temporary/seasonal/recreational use | Put inside approved RV park/campground as rental lodging | If used as permanent dwelling, may be treated like a dwelling unit |
| Tiny home on wheels | Usually treated like an RV if towable and built/certified as RV-type unit | Possible only if county accepts it as RV/PMRV inventory | Homemade/non-certified units may be rejected by inspectors/insurers/lenders |
| Manufactured home / single-wide / double-wide | HUD-code dwelling on permanent chassis, usable with or without foundation | Manufactured-home/mobile-home-park lane, not RV-park lane | Different zoning, density, installation, and housing-code regime |
| Modular/site-built tiny cottage | Building-code dwelling on foundation | Tiny-cabin/cottage neighborhood lane | Subdivision/dwelling-density/septic path; not “mobile” |

Official NC DHHS wastewater guidance makes the key distinction: manufactured homes are designed for permanent or temporary dwelling use and are treated as dwelling units, while RVs are temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use. It also says RVs designed or used as permanent dwelling units must meet the same requirements as dwelling units.

Source: NC DHHS, Permitting and Design Guidance for Wastewater Treatment and Dispersal Systems for Recreational Vehicle Parks, updated August 21, 2024.

## Artifact review notes

The RV-park artifact is directionally right: an RV park can be a real phase-one income engine, but the feasibility gates are zoning, wastewater, stormwater, fire access, and utilities.

One item needs a county-verification note before we rely on it too hard:

- The artifact says the clean zoning target is GB/RR/IHI.
- I rechecked the official Johnston County use tables from the Codes and Guidelines page.
- The business/commercial table shows `Campgrounds - Travel Trailer Parks` as `Permitted, minimum of 2 acres` in the table column that appears to align with GB.
- The residential table shows `RVs/Camper Trailers/Tents` as permitted in RR.
- The residential table also separately shows a Residential-Mobile Home Park district (R-MHP) for manufactured/mobile-home density.

Practical conclusion: the artifact should keep saying “verify the exact use label with Planning.” The clean call script should ask about all three phrases, because Johnston may treat them differently:

1. Campgrounds - Travel Trailer Parks
2. RVs/Camper Trailers/Tents
3. Recreational park trailers / park-model RV rental units inside an RV park

Do not describe the concept to the county as “permanent tiny homes” unless the goal is to invite the wrong filing cabinet.

## Wastewater feasibility

This is the main technical constraint.

NC DHHS RV Park guidance uses these design flows:

- Traditional RV: 100 gallons/day per space
- Park-model RV: 150 gallons/day per space
- LHD/local-health-department review lane is generally limited to design daily flow <=1,500 gpd if other conditions are met
- PE design is required when unreduced design daily flow is >1,500 gpd or collection sewer is proposed before septic tanks
- State review is required when unreduced DDF is >3,000 gpd, certain advanced pretreatment is used, or the system handles RV waste from a dump station

### What that means by mix

| Mix | Design daily flow | Likely wastewater read |
|---|---:|---|
| 20 standard RV sites | 2,000 gpd | PE design likely; already over simple LHD-only lane |
| 16 RV + 4 park models | 2,200 gpd | PE design likely; modest increase over all-RV plan |
| 12 RV + 8 park models | 2,400 gpd | PE design likely; still below 3,000 gpd state-review threshold unless dump-station/advanced-treatment issues trigger review |
| 10 RV + 10 park models | 2,500 gpd | PE design likely; heavier lodging posture |
| 20 park models | 3,000 gpd | PE design likely; at the edge of state-review threshold and operationally looks much less like an RV park |

If trying to stay at or under 1,500 gpd for a simpler pilot, the max combinations are roughly:

| Park models | Max traditional RV sites at <=1,500 gpd | Total DDF |
|---:|---:|---:|
| 0 | 15 | 1,500 gpd |
| 4 | 9 | 1,500 gpd |
| 6 | 6 | 1,500 gpd |
| 8 | 3 | 1,500 gpd |
| 10 | 0 | 1,500 gpd |

So an 8-park-model pilot is feasible on paper, but only with about three standard RV sites if the goal is to stay in the simple local-review wastewater lane. If the business target is still 20 total sites, assume PE involvement.

## Zoning / entitlement feasibility

Best-case legal lane:

- parcel is already in a zoning district where the county agrees an RV park/campground/travel-trailer-park use is permitted;
- park models are accepted as RV-park units, not permanent dwellings;
- all sites remain under common ownership/control;
- units are rented as lodging, not sold as lots/homes;
- the park rules prevent permanent-residency indicators.

Riskier lanes:

- calling them tiny homes rather than park-model RVs;
- advertising permanent residency;
- allowing mailboxes, sheds, big decks/additions, fenced yards, tenant-built structures, junk storage, tarps, or long-term porch creep;
- selling individual sites or creating separately owned parcels;
- using non-certified tiny homes on wheels;
- putting them on AR land and assuming “tiny” changes dwelling density.

Kill-test question for Johnston County Planning:

“If we have an approved RV park/campground/travel-trailer-park, can 4-8 of the sites be occupied by ANSI A119.5 / RVIA-certified park-model RVs used as rental lodging, with skirting/decks/landscaping, and not as permanent dwelling units?”

If Planning says “that is a dwelling unit,” pivot away from the RV-park add-on and use the tiny-cottage/cabin-neighborhood memo instead.

## Cost feasibility

Current market checks:

- NW Tiny Homes 2026 guide: park-model RV tiny-home base price starts around $49,900; estimated total range around $58k-$95k+ after transport, leveling, pad, utility hookups, skirting, stairs, etc. This is not NC-specific but is useful for order-of-magnitude budgeting.
- Park Models Direct advertises factory-direct park model RV pricing starting around $51,900.
- Hilltop Structures lists park-model cabin inventory examples around $60,695-$83,995.
- Amish Built Cabins Virginia pricing page showed an RVIA-certified modern park-model cottage listed at $102,900 with shipping/setup included in the pricing note.

Underwriting range for Johnston County:

| Item | Lean | Base | High |
|---|---:|---:|---:|
| Park-model unit | $55k | $75k-$95k | $105k-$130k+ |
| Delivery/set/level | $5k | $10k | $20k+ |
| Skirt/deck/stairs/permanent-look package | $8k | $18k | $35k+ |
| Furniture/housewares/STR setup | $5k | $10k | $18k+ |
| Incremental site utility/pad premium beyond standard RV site | $5k | $10k | $25k+ |
| Total incremental cost per park-model rental | $80k | $110k-$135k | $175k+ |

This is incremental to the RV-park horizontal infrastructure. Do not compare a $75k park model to a $52.5k RV pad. The park model needs the pad and the unit.

## Income feasibility

Nearby/regional lodging-rate checks:

- Current Johnston RV comps in the RV memo support conservative RV-site ADR around $50-$70 and premium/branded RV ADR around $60-$90.
- Kampers Lodge in Wilson, NC lists cabins at $110/night and $130/night while pull-through full-hookup RV sites are $60-$75/night.
- Midway Campground Resort in NC lists rental/cabin units roughly from the mid-$90s to mid-$150s/night depending on unit and season.

Reasonable underwriting for park-model tiny homes:

| Case | ADR | Occupancy | Gross/unit/year | Read |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---|
| Conservative | $100 | 45% | ~$16.4k | Plain unit, weak brand, not enough privacy/amenities |
| Base | $125 | 55% | ~$25.1k | Cabin-looking unit, good photos, clean park, decent location |
| Strong | $155 | 58% | ~$32.8k | Better design, porch/firepit/privacy, strong management |
| Premium | $180 | 60% | ~$39.4k | Needs a real reason to book; do not buy land assuming this |

Park-model rentals can produce 2x-3x the gross revenue of a monthly RV pad, but they also add furnishing, cleaning, maintenance, guest damage, HVAC/appliance replacement, OTA fees, and vacancy risk.

## Simple pro forma impact

Assumptions:

- Base RV park infrastructure before land: $1.05M
- Standard RV sites: $55 ADR, 60% occupancy, 45% NOI margin
- Park-model tiny homes: $125 ADR, 55% occupancy
- Incremental park-model cost: $110k each for unit + setup + skirt/deck/furnish/permanent-look package
- Mixed-product NOI margin: 48%-50% depending on mix

| Scenario | Wastewater DDF | Annual gross | Annual NOI | Before-land capex | Simple payback |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| 20 all-traditional RV sites | 2,000 gpd | $240.9k | $108.4k | $1.05M | 9.7 yrs |
| 16 RV + 4 park-model tiny homes | 2,200 gpd | $293.1k | $140.7k | $1.49M | 10.6 yrs |
| 12 RV + 8 park-model tiny homes | 2,400 gpd | $345.3k | $172.6k | $1.93M | 11.2 yrs |
| 10 RV + 10 park-model tiny homes | 2,500 gpd | $371.4k | $185.7k | $2.15M | 11.6 yrs |
| 20 all park-model tiny homes | 3,000 gpd | $501.9k | $250.9k | $3.25M | 13.0 yrs |

Interpretation: the mixed park can be more attractive operationally and aesthetically, but it does not automatically beat the all-RV plan on payback because capex rises fast. It may still be worth doing because it creates a better guest product, better marketing photos, more resilient revenue, and possibly better resale story if the county/soils cooperate.

## Design rules to keep them “permanent-looking” without becoming legally permanent

Good:

- RVIA/ANSI A119.5 certification documentation kept on file
- removable skirting
- small code-compliant deck/stairs where allowed
- gravel or concrete pad designed as RV/PMRV site, not home foundation
- consistent exterior palette
- landscaping/privacy screens
- house rules against exterior clutter
- common laundry/trash/parking plan
- booking language: cabin rental, park-model RV rental, glamping cabin, seasonal lodging

Avoid:

- permanent foundation language
- “permanent tiny home community” language
- individual mailboxes
- tenant-built porches/additions/sheds
- fenced yards as if separately occupied homesites
- separately metered/sold lots without legal review
- year-round residency promises
- non-certified DIY tiny homes on wheels

## Recommendation

Add park-model tiny homes as a premium layer, not as the core entitlement theory.

Best next development concept:

1. Keep the page’s 20-site RV park model as the base case.
2. Add an alternate scenario: 16 RV + 4 park-model tiny homes.
3. Add a stronger scenario only after Planning and Environmental Health feedback: 12 RV + 8 park-model tiny homes.
4. Avoid 20 park models unless the goal changes from RV park to lodging village / manufactured-home-adjacent development.

For land search, the best parcel still looks like the RV memo says:

- clean RV/campground zoning path;
- public water nearby;
- septic soils or sewer path strong enough for 2,200-2,400 gpd if doing 4-8 PMRVs;
- 3-7 gross acres for first phase, more if expansion is desired;
- commercial context / highway access;
- enough room for the PMRV cluster to feel intentional, not crammed into leftover corners.

## Calls to make before spending money

### Johnston County Planning

Ask:

1. In this zoning district, what is the exact use classification for an RV park/campground/travel-trailer park?
2. Are ANSI A119.5 / RVIA-certified park-model RVs allowed as sites/units inside that use?
3. Does skirting, a removable deck, landscaping, or long-term placement change the classification?
4. What crosses the line into dwelling unit, manufactured home, mobile-home park, or subdivision?
5. Is there a maximum stay or permanent-residency rule the county applies?
6. If the units are rented nightly/weekly/monthly but not sold, does that change the review?

### Johnston County Environmental Health

Ask:

1. For a proposed mix of 16 RV + 4 PMRV, what wastewater review path applies?
2. For 12 RV + 8 PMRV, what review path applies?
3. Will wastewater be assumed high-strength?
4. Would a dump station force state review if tied into the on-site wastewater system?
5. Is individual septic, shared septic, or public sewer more realistic for the parcel?
6. How much primary and repair area should be reserved?

### Fire / Building / Inspections

Ask:

1. Will park-model units require building permits for decks, stairs, electrical, plumbing, or accessory structures?
2. What fire access width/turnaround requirements apply to a PMRV cluster?
3. Are sprinklers, hydrants, address markers, or emergency access rules different for lodging units?

## Source list

Official / primary:

- Johnston County Planning Codes and Guidelines: https://www.johnstonnc.gov/planning/content.cfm?pageid=37
- Johnston County Table of Permitted Residential Uses: https://www.johnstonnc.gov/files/planning/johnstoncounty-nc-2%20Table%20of%20Permitted%20Residential%20Uses.pdf
- Johnston County Table of Business, Commercial, and Industrial Uses: https://www.johnstonnc.gov/files/planning/johnstoncounty-nc-1%20Table%20of%20Business%2C%20Commercial%2C%20and%20Industrial%20Uses.pdf
- NC DHHS RV Park Wastewater Guidance, updated August 21, 2024: https://www.dph.ncdhhs.gov/environmental-health/rv-parks-guidancepdf/download?attachment=
- NC OSFM Manufactured Homes page: https://www.ncosfm.gov/manufactured-bldg/manufactured-homes
- RVIA Standards and Regulations: https://www.rvia.org/standards-regulations

Market / cost / income:

- NW Tiny Homes 2026 park-model RV tiny-home cost breakdown: https://www.nwtinyhomes.com/blog/park-model-rv-tiny-home-cost-complete-pricing-breakdown-for-2026
- Park Models Direct pricing page: https://parkmodelsdirect.com/
- Hilltop Structures park-model RV cabin inventory: https://hilltopstructures.com/product-category/park-cabin/
- Amish Built Cabins RVIA-certified park-model cottage, Virginia pricing: https://amishbuiltcabins.com/products/modern-rv-park-model-cottage-rvia-certified-virginia-pricing
- Kampers Lodge rates: https://kamperslodge.com/rates/
- Midway Campground Resort rates: https://www.midwaycampground.com/rates.html