Campground & RV Park Insurance in Ontario, Canada

Commercial Insurance | Boardwalk Insurance — A Division of Oracle RMS

Campground and RV park insurance is a commercial insurance program for privately-owned campgrounds, trailer parks, RV resorts, seasonal camping facilities, glamping operations, and outdoor recreation properties in Ontario. Campgrounds and RV parks face premises liability for guests across large outdoor properties with inherent hazards — water bodies, uneven terrain, outdoor cooking, recreation equipment, and wildlife — combined with commercial property exposure for camp infrastructure, seasonal business interruption risk, and the unique liability profile of hosting guests in an outdoor environment where they assume some risk but the operator retains a duty of care. Boardwalk Insurance serves Ontario campground and RV park operators from 30+ A-rated carriers. Serving all provinces except Quebec.

Get a Free Quote | Book a Meeting

5/5 Rating — 69+ Reviews | 15+ Years Experience | Dedicated Claims Support

What Is Campground & RV Park Insurance?

Campground and RV park insurance is a commercial hospitality and premises liability insurance program built for the specific risk profile of outdoor accommodation facilities. While the underlying coverages — CGL, commercial property, commercial auto, and business interruption — are standard commercial insurance products, the campground and RV park context creates specific coverage questions around outdoor premises liability, waterfront and water activity exposure, seasonal operations, and the mixture of short-term guests and long-term seasonal residents that characterize many Ontario camping facilities.

Ontario's campground industry ranges from small family-operated tent and trailer parks to large RV resorts with hundreds of seasonal sites, amenity buildings, swimming facilities, and recreational programming. The insurance needs scale with the operation, but the fundamental risk categories are consistent across the spectrum.

Who Needs Campground & RV Park Insurance in Ontario?

Private Campgrounds and Family Camping Resorts

Private campgrounds offering tent sites, electrical hook-up sites, and seasonal trailer sites carry premises liability for every guest on the property — from families setting up tents to seasonal residents who spend entire summers on-site. The breadth of the property, the outdoor environment, and the range of ages and activities on a campground create a diverse liability profile compared to most commercial premises.

RV Parks and RV Resorts

RV parks and resorts catering to self-contained recreational vehicles — motorhomes, fifth wheels, travel trailers — face specific infrastructure liability (electrical pedestals, water and sewer connections, road conditions within the park) combined with the guest premises liability common to all campgrounds. RV parks with premium amenities — pools, clubhouses, fitness facilities — carry the additional liability of those amenity spaces.

Glamping Operations

Glamping (glamorous camping) businesses offering safari tents, yurts, tree houses, cabins, and other premium outdoor accommodation face the intersection of accommodation liability (similar to a cottage rental or B&B) and campground liability (outdoor premises, nature-based hazards). Glamping structures are typically more valuable than standard camping infrastructure and require careful commercial property valuation.

Seasonal Trailer Parks and Manufactured Home Communities

Seasonal trailer parks where residents place their own trailers or park models on leased pads for the season face a distinct liability profile — long-term seasonal residents who treat the site as their summer home, with personal property they own on a lot they lease. The park operator's liability covers the common areas, infrastructure, and amenities; each seasonal resident is responsible for their own unit and its contents. Clearly defining the park operator's liability in relation to seasonal residents' personal property is an important coverage and lease terms question.

Wilderness and Backcountry Camps

Fishing lodges, hunting camps, canoe base camps, and wilderness outfitters face elevated outdoor liability for activities that carry inherent physical risk — boating, fishing, hunting, wilderness hiking, and remote access. These operations often involve licensed guides, wilderness equipment, and transportation to remote locations, creating a liability profile distinct from a standard campground.

Day Use and Recreation Properties

Properties offering day-use outdoor recreation — picnic areas, day camps, nature trails, disc golf courses, mountain biking trails, and similar outdoor facilities — carry public premises liability for visitors who are not overnight guests. Day-use recreation facilities may need special event coverage for organized events and tournaments in addition to their standard CGL.

What Does Campground & RV Park Insurance Cover?

Commercial General Liability — Outdoor Premises

CGL for campgrounds and RV parks covers third-party bodily injury and property damage claims arising from the operation of the camping facility. The outdoor premises context creates liability exposures that are different from indoor commercial premises:

Terrain and environmental hazards: Uneven ground, tree roots, natural water drainage, and outdoor lighting limitations create trip-and-fall hazards across large campground properties. Unlike an indoor commercial floor that can be kept uniformly safe, outdoor terrain has inherent variability that courts recognize — but the operator's duty to inspect, identify, and address known hazards remains.

Water bodies: Campgrounds adjacent to lakes, rivers, or with swimming pools carry significant drowning and water injury liability. The absence of lifeguards on natural waterfront, after-hours access to water, and alcohol consumption by guests at waterfront sites create liability scenarios that campground operators must address through both operational policies and insurance.

Recreation equipment: Playgrounds, sports courts, bicycle paths, climbing structures, and recreational equipment on campground grounds create equipment injury liability. Playground equipment in particular must be maintained to CSA standards, and maintenance records are important documentation in the event of a claim.

Wildlife: Ontario campgrounds co-exist with wildlife including bears, coyotes, and other animals. Wildlife encounters that result in guest injury can generate liability claims when they arise from conditions the operator created or failed to manage — unsecured garbage attracting bears, inadequate signage about wildlife risk in the area, or failure to report and address known wildlife hazards.

Campfire hazards: Campfires on individual sites, fire pits in common areas, and campfire-adjacent structures create fire liability if guest campfires spread to adjacent structures or properties. Campground liability for fire includes third-party property claims from neighbouring properties damaged by fires that originate on the campground.

Property Insurance — Campground Infrastructure

Campground and RV park infrastructure is diverse and spread across a large property footprint. Commercial property coverage must address:

Amenity buildings: Washroom and shower facilities, laundry buildings, recreation halls, camp stores, and camp offices
Service infrastructure: Electrical distribution systems, water supply infrastructure, sewer/septic systems, and road surfaces within the park
Recreational facilities: Pools and their filtration and pump systems, sports courts, playgrounds, and outdoor recreation structures
Glamping structures: Safari tents, yurts, cabins, and other revenue-generating accommodation structures at full replacement cost

Seasonal property considerations: Campground infrastructure that is winterized and unoccupied during off-season months triggers vacancy provisions in commercial property policies. Operators should confirm with their broker whether their policy maintains coverage during winter closure and what conditions (winterization, security patrols, utility shut-offs) must be in place to maintain coverage during vacancy.

Business Interruption — Seasonal Revenue

Campground business interruption coverage must reflect the seasonal nature of camping revenue. Most Ontario campgrounds generate the vast majority of their annual revenue during the May-to-October operating season; a fire that destroys the washroom building in June can eliminate the entire season's revenue if reconstruction extends through the summer. Business interruption for campgrounds should be sized to replace lost seasonal revenue during the realistic reconstruction period — which in a peak-season loss scenario could represent the full year's income.

Liquor Liability

Campgrounds that sell alcohol in a licensed premises — a camp store with beer and wine sales, a licensed patio or recreation hall bar — face liquor liability for service of alcohol to guests who subsequently cause harm to themselves or third parties. Ontario liquor service is governed by the Liquor Licence and Control Act (LLCA) and the requirements of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). Host liquor liability is included in standard CGL for incidental service; commercial liquor sales require a specific liquor liability extension.

Commercial Auto

Campground operations that use vehicles — utility vehicles for site maintenance, tractors for grounds maintenance, shuttle vehicles for guest transport — need commercial auto coverage for those vehicles when operated on public roads, and appropriate coverage for their use within the park.

Frequently Asked Questions About Campground & RV Park Insurance in Ontario

What insurance does a campground need in Ontario?

A campground needs at minimum: Commercial General Liability (CGL) for guest injury and property damage claims across the outdoor premises; Commercial Property for campground buildings, infrastructure, and amenity structures; Business Interruption to replace seasonal revenue lost when a covered event forces a closure during operating season; and Commercial Auto for maintenance and utility vehicles. Campgrounds with waterfront must confirm that water activity liability is addressed in their CGL. Glamping operations need property coverage for accommodation structures at full replacement cost. Campgrounds with licensed alcohol sales need liquor liability coverage.

Are campground guests covered if they're injured on their own campsite?

The campground operator's CGL covers injury to guests that arises from the operator's negligence — a hazard on the property the operator created or failed to address. It does not cover every injury that occurs on the property. A guest who trips over their own tent stakes on their campsite is unlikely to have a successful CGL claim against the operator. A guest who trips over a campground-installed electrical pedestal in poor condition has a much stronger case. The operator's duty of care extends to the common areas, infrastructure, and known hazards on the property — not to every possible injury that occurs in a natural outdoor environment.

Does campground insurance cover seasonal residents differently than overnight guests?

Most campground CGL policies cover the operator's liability to all persons on the property — including seasonal residents — for claims arising from the operator's operations, common areas, and maintained infrastructure. The distinction between seasonal residents and overnight guests matters more for property insurance (the seasonal resident's personal trailer and belongings are their own property and responsibility, covered by their own insurance) than for CGL. Campground operators with seasonal residents should confirm with their broker that the CGL explicitly covers the seasonal resident population and that the lease terms clearly delineate the operator's and resident's respective property and maintenance responsibilities.

Why Ontario Campground and RV Park Operators Choose Boardwalk Insurance

Boardwalk Insurance is a RIBO-registered commercial insurance broker placing campground and RV park insurance for private campgrounds, glamping operations, RV resorts, seasonal trailer parks, and outdoor recreation properties across Ontario and Canada. We access 30+ A-rated carriers and understand the seasonal revenue profile, outdoor premises liability, and waterfront exposure that define campground insurance.

Get a Free Quote | +1-416-477-9771 | sales@myboardwalk.ca