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Campgrounds and Marinas
Information regarding campgrounds and marinas.
Campgrounds
Recreational Vehicle Parks (RV), recreation camps (campgrounds), combined park-camps, and temporary park/camps in Ohio are regulated under the authority of Chapter 3729 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). All camp and park rules are developed by the Ohio Department of Health. These camps are inspected monthly during their open season which begins during the license period on April 1st and extends to the last day of March of the following year.
A recreation camp (campground) is defined as any tract of land upon which five (5) or more portable camping units are placed. RV parks and campgrounds are subject to the rules for construction, layout, drainage, sanitation, safety and operation as specified in OAC 3701-26 http://www.odh.ohio.gov/rules/final/f3701-26.aspx
Routine inspections regarding campgrounds and parks typically cover sanitation, pest control, fire and electrical, and wastewater/solid waste management. Efforts to keep campers from disrupting each other AND the environment are made to assure that preserving public health is top priority during the warmest months of the year.
Marinas
Marinas in Ohio are regulated under the authority of Chapter 3733 of the Ohio Revised Code and the rules specified in Chapter 3701-35 of the Ohio Administrative Code. A Marina is defined as a boat basin that has docks or moorings for seven (7) or more watercrafts. The rules apply uniformly throughout the state affecting the location, development, operation and maintenance of marinas to assure that marinas provide adequate sanitary facilities for the watercraft using them and do not cause a nuisance or health hazard.
Routine inspections are also performed on Marinas during the seasonal months when they are open beginning April 1st and ending March 31st of the following year. Both campground and marina inspections are more environmental-intensive in dealing with wastewater disposal and often near the river. These inspections are often performed when insects are at their peak as a nuisance, and the communal outdoors type of living causes communicable disease transmission potential to increase.