BEND, OR -- Deschutes County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on allowing RVs to be used as rental housing. County staff briefed Commissioners Wednesday on the challenge of enforcing codes when someone permanently lives in a motorhome or camping trailer.

Commissioner Tony Debone wants to gauge public interest, “I support having this momentum, let's have the discussion, you know, and let's find out how complicated it is or supported it is or, or opposed.”

Commissioner Phil Chang worries about the cost of enforcing new rules, “If this is an opportunity that is important enough for our community, I want to figure out how we pay for it… Clearly, we can't just depend on permit fees to kind of make this all work.”

Commission Chair Patti Adair said it is imperative to get people permanently living in RVs to comply with current code, “That would be the ultimate goal because people don't need any extra stress in their life today. So, if that, if we could help those people, that would be, I would feel like we've done something right.”

State law allowing counties to approve codes for RV rental housing just took effect in January the board also wants to see what other counties plan to do. 

No date has been set yet for the local public hearing, but it will likely be scheduled in the next two months.