The Canary Islands Government's Department of Tourism has drawn up regulations for outdoor tourist accommodation establishments. Decree 170/2026 was approved on 30 October and published on 9 November. It enters into force three months after publication, on 9 February 2027.
The draft clarifies that simply parking a camper van or habitable vehicle on public roads remains governed by general traffic legislation and each council's municipal ordinances. If the vehicle is properly parked, without extending awnings, stabiliser legs or casement windows beyond its perimeter, it counts as ordinary parking. The traffic authority's 2026 instruction states that the presence of occupants inside a correctly parked vehicle does not by itself turn parking into camping.
Stopovers and campsites
- At designated overnight areas for these vehicles, the maximum continuous stay is 72 hours, extendable until 10:00 on the morning after the last night.
- At stopovers, awnings and portable tables and chairs may be used within the plot or in equipped areas. Fixed elements are banned, and outdoor cooking is allowed only in designated spaces.
- At campsites and authorised camping areas, users have exclusive use of their assigned plot but may not encroach on adjacent plots or roads.
- Facilities must provide permanent drinking water and, as a priority, approved disposal points for grey and black water.
The rules distinguish five types of outdoor accommodation: campsites, camping areas for motorhomes and caravans, overnight stopovers, camping linked to isolated rural buildings and singular tourist accommodation such as yurts or tree houses. The draft does not change traffic, circulation or parking rules on public roads. Responsibility for stopping, parking and traffic management on urban and interurban roads stays with state traffic legislation and municipal ordinances.