The Indiana Manufactured Housing Association-Recreation Vehicle Indiana Council (IMHA-RVIC) played a crucial role in the passage of an IN S 17, the Campground Matters bill. The bill specifically defines Campground, Campground Owner and Guest, defines specific circumstances when a campground owner may ask that an individual leave a campground and specifies that an individual who does not leave or returns is guilty of criminal trespass.

IMHA-RVIC Executive Director Ron Breymier and Director of Recreation Vehicles Matt Rose  were instrumental in getting the bill passed. ARVC supplied the IMHA-RVIC with model language for the bill that was then amended as it went through the process of committee hearings, before being authored by Sen. Blake Doriot, Sen. Linda Rogers, Sen. Mike Bohacek and sponsored by Rep. Mike Speedy, Rep. Doug Miller, Rep. Anthony Cook.

You can view the full content of the bill here via the ARVC Daily Monitoring Report: IN S 17

It is very important to have industry specific legislation that permits a campground owner to resolve an issue based on a guest relationship and not a landlord/tenant relationship, says Jeff Sims, CPO, OHC, and ARVC’s senior director of state relations and program advocacy.

Currently there are similar guest ejection/removal bills in various stages in Alabama (AL H 555), Maine (ME S 268) and South Carolina (SC H 3765) that are being supported by ARVC Advocacy efforts. ARVC was also instrumental in incorporating into the NFPA 1194 Standard for Recreational Vehicle Parks and Campgrounds – Annex D Operations Guidelines, which are not part of the requirements but does provide definitions/guidance for Transient Guest and Guest Removal/Ejection.
 
"First of all, it’s important to understand the difference between an eviction and an ejection," says Sims. "The real issue is when a park owner needs someone removed, they often call law enforcement for assistance and say, ‘I need you to help me evict this person.’ That’s the real problem, because when law enforcement hears the word ‘eviction,’ in many cases they interpret this as a landlord-tenant relationship and recommend relief through a civil action. Instead, parks need to ask for a guest removal or ejection.”

Learn more about ARVC's advocacy efforts at on our Advocacy Page or contact the ARVC Advocacy team if you have questions, need advocacy support or would like to get involved with our efforts.