Glamping Campgrounds in Billings County, North Dakota

A real, recent amendment: glamping is its own defined category, not lumped in with campgrounds generally

Billings County's Zoning Board and County Commission approved updates to the county's campground-related regulations, formally defining separate categories for "campground," "RV park," "permanent campground," and "glamping campground" -- action taken at the Billings County Courthouse in Medora in March 2026. Treating glamping as its own defined category, rather than folding it into a general campground or RV-park definition, is a meaningful choice: it means a landowner proposing a cluster of yurts, safari tents, or similar fixed glamping structures is reviewed against standards written specifically for that use, not standards designed around tent camping or RV pads.

The amendment sets a minimum area requirement of five acres for these campground-related uses, establishes density limits that are specifically lower for glamping than for a standard campground, and adds parking requirements tied to the use. The lower density standard for glamping is worth noting directly: it means fewer glamping units are allowed per acre than tent or RV sites would be under the general campground standard, generally reflecting the larger footprint and more permanent nature of glamping structures compared to a simple tent pad or RV parking space.

Three or more sites triggers a state license -- a real, low threshold to plan around

The county's amendment specifically flags a state licensing trigger for developments of three or more sites -- meaning a small glamping operation can very quickly cross from a purely local zoning matter into one that also requires a North Dakota state license as an organized campground or recreational-vehicle park. That's a low bar: a landowner planning even a modest handful of glamping units should plan from the outset for both the county's zoning approval and a separate state licensing application, rather than assuming a small operation stays under state radar. Confirm the current state licensing requirements and application process directly with the relevant North Dakota state agency (state park/campground licensing typically runs through the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services' environmental health program) before finalizing a site plan sized at or above the three-site threshold.

Because this framework is recent -- the county amendment dates to March 2026, with a related temporary-uses amendment moving through a public hearing process shortly after -- treat any secondhand description (including general online guides to North Dakota campground rules) as a starting point only, not a substitute for the current ordinance text and county confirmation.

Why this exists here: a real tourism economy, not a speculative zoning category

Billings County wrote a glamping-specific category into its ordinance because Medora and Theodore Roosevelt National Park generate genuine, sustained visitor demand -- this isn't a nominal provision copied from a model ordinance without local use. For a landowner with land near Medora, the park, or along regional tourist corridors, that means the zoning path for a glamping operation is a real, functioning one that the county actively administers and updates, rather than an unused or theoretical category. It also means the county expects and has planned for this kind of development, which can work in a landowner's favor when seeking approval compared to a county with no comparable framework at all.

What to check before planning a glamping development on Billings County land

1. Confirm the parcel meets the five-acre minimum area requirement and get the current glamping-specific density standard (units per acre) from Planning & Zoning before sizing a project.
2. If planning three or more sites, budget for both county zoning approval and a separate North Dakota state license application -- confirm the current state licensing process and any inspection requirements before committing to a site count.
3. Get the parking-requirement specifics tied to the amendment, since these are a defined part of the approval standard, not a general suggestion.
4. Ask whether the parcel's zoning district permits glamping campgrounds outright or requires a conditional use permit, and what the current application and public-hearing process looks like given the amendment's recency.
5. Distinguish glamping-specific standards from the county's separate RV-park and standard-campground provisions -- they carry different density and design standards even though the same March 2026 amendment addressed all of them together.