Ask before you build
Campground deck rules: 10 questions before you build.
Updated October 4, 2026 · Chris Kiehm, PALLET-DEX · BUILD SMARTER. BUILD CHEAPER.
This is a question list, not legal advice and not a permit. Parks write their own rules. A public seasonal-camper example requires owner permission before a site is altered, limits deck size and location, and makes departing seasonals remove decks by a deadline. Yours may not read that way.
Before You Build: 10 questions for your campground
- Does the campground allow a separate, ground-level patio platform on this site?
- Is written approval required before any material is delivered or work begins?
- What footprint, height, and location limits apply?
- Are there material restrictions — lumber, pallets, decking, blocks, rugs, or ground cover?
- Must the platform stay separate from the RV or trailer entry?
- Are there rules about utilities, hookups, fire routes, trees, roads, or the next site?
- Are there drainage, surface-prep, or ground-disturbance restrictions?
- Does the park require seasonal removal, year-end removal, or removal when the site changes hands?
- Does the platform affect insurance, inspection, or who maintains the site?
- Who gives the final yes, and can that answer be in writing?
Email the list to yourself, then ask the office. PALLET-DEX will also send the same checklist plus a pallet measurement sheet.
After you have a yes, check whether your plastic pallets fit and build a free cut list. If the answer is no, stop. Do not build it and hope.
Back to seasonal campsite patio ideas.