Bylaw 227 Freedom Camping Bylaw 2017

The Nelson City Freedom Camping Bylaw has been adopted and took effect on 1 December 2017. 

Download the Freedom Camping Bylaw 2017 (5.9MB PDF)

The Bylaw gives Council powers to regulate and manage freedom camping activities on Nelson City local authority lands and introduces an infringement regime for offences.

The Nelson City Freedom Camping Bylaw prohibits camping in non-self-contained vehicles anywhere within the city, apart from official campgrounds or private accommodation providers. For certified self-contained vehicles, restrictions have been imposed on the numbers of vehicles and the areas where they can park.

You can use this interactive map to search on a specific area and see what restrictions are in place.

Please note: some changes were made as a result of the public consultation process. The main changes made as the bylaw was adopted are as follows:

• Freedom camping will now be prohibited at Centennial Park and Paddy’s Knob (previously included as restricted camping areas).
• The number of certified self-contained (CSC) vehicles in Buxton Carpark is increased by three (to 23) and in Montgomery Carpark by five (to 25) to make up for the loss of places at Paddy’s Knob and Centennial Park.
• Identified Department of Conservation (DoC) and NZTA reserves are removed from the bylaw as they are not administered by Council.
• “Night” is defined as 10pm to 7am.
• In areas where freedom camping is permitted, the vehicles and their associated possessions must remain within one single car parking space (where defined) or within 1 metre of the vehicle if a parking space isn’t defined.