ALE & Displacement Housing Directory · In Our Network
TempHomeFinder Review 2026
A free ALE housing directory whose county RV zoning tracker went from one state to three in 48 hours
What Is TempHomeFinder?
Bottom line: TempHome Finder is a free directory and education site for people who lost a home and are now living inside an insurance claim. It does not own RVs and it does not rent them. It explains Additional Living Expense coverage, lists vetted housing providers by ZIP, and routes monthly RV requests to LongTerm RV.
Its best asset is the ALE explainer, which cites the Washington insurance regulator and the actual statutes in California, Colorado and Oregon rather than paraphrasing an agent. Its most interesting asset is the county RV zoning tracker, which answers a question nobody else indexes. We counted that tracker on September 11, 2026 and again on September 13, 2026, and it went from one state to three in 48 hours. Florida is now genuinely usable. Forty states still have nothing.
✅ Good for:
- Florida homeowners checking their county before they book anything
- Understanding what your ALE coverage actually caps out at
- Adjusters and restoration contractors sourcing crew housing
- Building the list of questions to ask county planning
- Anyone who wants free orientation before calling providers
⚠️ Not the best fit for:
- Looking up a county outside Florida, Louisiana or California
- Booking an RV directly, it hands you off
- Anyone wanting published nightly or monthly rates
- Vacation RV rentals, this is displacement housing only
We Counted the Zoning Database Twice, Two Days Apart
We first measured this tracker on September 11, 2026, when California was the only state with rows in it. We re-counted on September 13, 2026. Florida and Louisiana had landed in between, and Florida is now the reason to use this thing.
Across 3 states: 55 in Florida, 48 in Louisiana, 7 in California. Two days earlier it was 7.
49 have publishable detail pages: 3 allowed, 28 conditional, 18 prohibited. This is the first state page that answers the question.
Los Angeles County, plus Assumption and St. Mary Parishes in Louisiana. Everything else is desk research from ordinances, and the site labels it as such.
What changed, and what it means for you
Two days ago this was a framework. With Florida it is a usable lookup, for one state. If you are displaced in Florida, open your county's row before you call anyone: 55 of 67 counties are covered and 49 carry a detail page with the permit name and the day limit. Louisiana is 48 of 64 parishes. California is still 7 of 58.
Everywhere else, it is still a question list. Texas, Colorado, Oregon and Washington all showed zero researched counties when we spot-checked them on September 13, 2026. Use the permit names from the states that are filled in as the vocabulary for your own call: "Temporary Use Permit," "Administrative Permit," "temporary housing / trailer coach permit," "Temporary Occupancy permit." Those phrases get you to the right desk at county planning.
The cost of skipping that call: a rig delivered to a driveway the county will not permit. You are then paying monthly rent on a unit you cannot legally occupy, while your ALE clock runs.
Measured from temphomefinder.com/rv-zoning and the /fl, /la and /ca pages on September 13, 2026. The nationwide header still reads "3 verified · 197 in research," so the state pages are ahead of the headline. Counts change fast, and this one moved from one state to three in 48 hours. Credit where due: the site labels desk-researched rows as researched and unknown rows as unknown rather than filling gaps with guesses.
"Prohibited" Does Not Mean Prohibited After a Disaster
This is the correction the Florida data makes possible, and it is the most valuable thing now on the site. Get it wrong and you check into a hotel you did not need.
The finding: 18 of Florida's researched counties are marked prohibited. Read the detail pages and several of them carry an explicit post-disaster exception anyway. Collier County prohibits RV living as a baseline, then allows an RV as temporary housing when the county has confirmed major damage to your principal residence, capped at 180 days. Orange County is marked prohibited, and its record says an RV may be occupied as temporary shelter where a single-family residence is uninhabitable due to natural disaster. Louisiana separately documents 4 parishes with post-disaster exceptions.
The assumption this corrects: a displaced homeowner who sees "prohibited" next to their county concludes the RV is off the table and books a hotel. In at least two of Florida's prohibited counties, the disaster is precisely the thing that unlocks the permit. The baseline rule and the disaster rule are different rules.
So ask this, in these words: "Does the county have a temporary housing or post-disaster exception for an RV on a lot with a damaged principal residence?" Not "can I park an RV here." The first question gets a yes in places where the second gets a no.
Cost of the wrong question: an extended-stay hotel at roughly $4,500 to $9,000 a month against an RV at $1,500 to $3,000, on a claim where you could have stayed on your own street. Over a six-month rebuild that gap runs into five figures, and it comes straight out of an ALE cap you will need later.
The Day Limit Runs From 60 Days to Five Years
Now that three states have permit durations on record, they can be lined up against each other. The spread is the story, and nobody else has compiled it.
| County | Permit | Day limit | Renewals needed for a 24-month rebuild |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, FL | Temporary Use Permit (TUP) | 60 days | About 12 |
| Butte County, CA | Administrative Permit, camping with hookups | 180 days | About 4 |
| Collier County, FL | Post-disaster temporary housing | 180 days | About 4 |
| Calhoun County, FL | Annual RV Permit ($100) or Temporary ($50/180d) | 365 days | 1 |
| Lake, Napa & Sonoma Counties, CA | Temporary dwelling / trailer / occupancy permits | 365 days | 1 |
| Ventura County, CA | Zoning clearance, County Planning Director | Up to 5 years post-disaster | None |
The number that decides whether you can stay put
The other clock: Washington's insurance regulator puts typical ALE limits at 12 to 24 months. California Insurance Code §2060 requires at least 24 months after a declared emergency, extendable to 36, and Colorado HB22-1111 and Oregon HB 3272 match it.
The consequence: in Marion County, a 24-month rebuild means roughly twelve trips back to Growth Services, each one a chance to be denied. In Ventura County, the five-year post-disaster clearance outlasts your insurance by two years, so the county is not your constraint at all. Same rebuild, same insurance, opposite planning problem.
So ask the renewal question, not the approval question. "How many times does this renew, and what triggers a denial?" is the sentence that matters. Approval on day one tells you almost nothing.
Cost if you do not: you move house twice during a rebuild, once out of the home and once off your own lot when a renewal is refused. The second move is the one nobody budgets for.
The Cap That Ends Your Coverage Is Time, Not Money
TempHomeFinder makes this argument on its ALE page. We checked the arithmetic against our own rental price data, and the conclusion sharpens considerably.
| Rig class | Monthly rate (BestRV median) | Months an $80,000 ALE cap buys | Which cap bites first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel trailer | $1,900 – $2,600 | 31 – 42 months | Time. You hit the 24 to 36 month statutory ceiling with money left. |
| Class C motorhome | $3,400 – $4,800 | 17 – 24 months | Money. You run dry at or before the statutory floor. |
| Class A motorhome | $4,500 – $6,300 | 13 – 18 months | Money, with roughly a year of the claim unfunded. |
Where the $80,000 comes from
The Washington OIC puts ALE at 20 to 30 percent of dwelling coverage. A $400,000 dwelling limit at the low end is $80,000. Monthly rates are our own, derived from the July 2026 pull of 3,398 live listings behind our long-term RV rental guide, with the 28-night discount applied. Campsite not included.
The consequence: rig class, not claim size, decides whether you run out of money or run out of time. On the same $80,000, a travel trailer funds roughly 14 more months than a Class C. If your rebuild is realistically a two-year job, that difference is the whole question.
The cost of getting it wrong: choosing the roomier motorhome in month one, then paying out of pocket from month eighteen while you are also carrying a mortgage and a construction overrun.
Why two years is the realistic number: three years after the Marshall Fire, about two-thirds of the 1,105 destroyed Boulder County homes had been rebuilt, which Boulder Reporting Lab notes is far above the national average of 25% rebuilt within five years of a wildfire. Plan against the national number, not the best case.
How TempHomeFinder Works
Submit the form
Name, email, phone, ZIP, and whether you are a displaced resident, an adjuster, a contractor, or other.
They route it
Read during business hours and sent to a guide, a directory provider covering your ZIP, or LongTerm RV.
A provider contacts you
You consent to your details going to housing providers and LongTerm RV when you submit.
You book with them
TempHomeFinder is not the counterparty. Your contract is with whoever they route you to.
No response-time guarantee is published on the site, and we will not invent one. The page says requests are read during business hours. If speed matters, call (408) 404-5926 rather than waiting on the form.
What It Costs (and Who Actually Pays)
Seekers pay nothing. Providers pay for placement. Knowing which side funds the directory tells you how to read the listings.
| Tier | Price | What the provider gets |
|---|---|---|
| Listed | Free | Basic profile, service area, housing types, inbound views only |
| Pro | $149 – $299/mo | Qualified leads in their area, photos, coverage ZIPs, response SLA, lead dashboard |
| Network | $399 – $799/mo | Featured placement, priority or exclusive ZIPs, lead scoring, direct support |
Tiers and pricing as published on temphomefinder.com/providers, checked September 13, 2026. The practical read: a provider at the top of a state or metro list may be there because the territory was bought, so compare at least two quotes rather than taking the first name.
TempHomeFinder Pros & Cons
✅ Advantages
- Free to seekers, with no gate on the guides
- ALE guidance cites primary sources: the WA regulator and three state statutes, not agent folklore
- The zoning question is one nobody else indexes, and Florida is now 55 of 67 counties deep
- Moving fast: one state to three, and 7 counties to 110, in 48 hours
- Labels unknowns as unknown instead of guessing, which is rarer than it should be
- Built for adjusters and restoration contractors, not repurposed vacation content
⚠️ Limitations
- Only 3 states have researched counties. Texas, Colorado, Oregon and Washington showed zero on September 13, 2026
- New property: domain registered September 6, 2026
- It does not rent RVs, it routes you to LongTerm RV
- No published response-time guarantee on the request form
- Provider order reflects paid tiers, so it is a directory, not a ranking
How It Compares to LongTerm RV and Shelter On-Site
These three solve three different parts of the same problem, and the honest answer is that you may end up using more than one.
| TempHome Finder | LongTerm RV | Shelter On-Site | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Directory & education | Booking & quote broker | On-site operator |
| Cost to you | Free | By quote | $1,500 – $3,000/mo published |
| Bills insurance direct? | No | Not stated | Yes, carrier billed monthly |
| Best when | You are still working out what you are owed | You know it is an RV, you need a price | You need a rig on the driveway this week |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does TempHomeFinder charge anything?
No. Seekers pay nothing. Providers pay for placement: free Listed, Pro at $149 to $299 a month, Network at $399 to $799 a month or a lower subscription plus cost-per-acquisition. Checked September 13, 2026.
Is the county RV zoning tool complete?
It depends on your state, and it is moving fast. We counted it on September 11, 2026 when California was the only state with rows, and again on September 13, 2026 when three states had data: Florida at 55 of 67 counties, Louisiana at 48 of 64 parishes, and California at 7 of 58. Only 3 are phone-verified nationwide. In Florida it is now a usable lookup. Elsewhere, use it to build your questions for county planning.
How long does ALE coverage actually last?
Usually 12 to 24 months and 20 to 30 percent of dwelling coverage, per the Washington OIC. California, Colorado and Oregon set statutory floors of 24 months after a declared disaster, extendable to 36. Those floors are state law in those three states only, so read your own declarations page.
Can I park an RV on my own lot during a rebuild?
County by county, and usually with a permit and a day limit. Los Angeles County is conditional with a permit required. Butte County allows 180 days with hookups under an Administrative Permit. Ask county planning about renewals, not just approval, because 180 days is a quarter of a typical claim period.
Who owns TempHomeFinder?
PopNet Media, which also operates BestRV and LongTerm RV. Monthly RV requests are routed to LongTerm RV. We disclose it because it should change how much weight you give the referral.
Should I use this or go straight to an operator?
If you already know you want an RV on your driveway and you have an open claim, go straight to Shelter On-Site, which publishes rates and bills the carrier directly. Use TempHomeFinder first if you are still working out what your policy owes you.
What to Do, In Order
- Read your declarations page and find two numbers: the ALE dollar cap and the ALE time limit. The time limit is the one that usually ends the coverage.
- Call county planning before you call any RV company. Ask what permit an RV on your own lot needs, what the day limit is, and how many times it renews.
- Pick the rig class against the time limit, not against comfort. A travel trailer stretches the same cap roughly 14 months further than a Class C.
- Get the pad answer in writing. If the RV cannot go on your lot, a private resort pad adds $400 to $1,500 a month on top of the rig.
- Ask any provider to bill the carrier directly so you are not floating months of housing on a credit card while the claim is adjusted.
Our Verdict
We rated this site once and had to re-rate it two days later, which tells you the main thing about it. On September 11, 2026 the zoning tracker held rows for one state and we called it a framework rather than a lookup. On September 13, 2026 it held about 110 researched counties across 3 states, with Florida at 55 of 67 and 49 detail pages carrying permit names and day limits. For a displaced Florida homeowner that is now the most useful free page on the subject we have found.
We rate it 4.5 on the strength of its sourcing: the ALE guidance cites the Washington regulator and the statutes themselves, and unknown rows are labelled unknown instead of guessed. It stops short of 5 because forty states still have no researched counties, only 3 records anywhere are phone-verified, and the site does not rent you anything. Given the pace, the coverage number is the one to re-check rather than the verdict. Use the permit names it publishes as the script for your call to county planning, and read our long-term RV rental guide for the pricing side.
In-network property (PopNet Media) · Figures measured September 13, 2026
Sources
- Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner, Additional living expenses coverage — ALE typically 20–30% of dwelling coverage, 12–24 months.
- California Insurance Code §2060 — no less than 24 months after a state of emergency, extendable by 12 to a total of 36.
- Colorado HB22-1111 (enrolled) — ALE available at least 24 months, with two six-month extensions offered.
- Oregon HB 3272 (2021, enrolled) — 24 months for wildfire losses with two six-month extensions.
- Boulder Reporting Lab, Marshall Fire recovery three years on — two-thirds rebuilt at 36 months; national average 25% within five years.
- TempHomeFinder county RV zoning tracker, plus the Florida, Louisiana and California pages — county counts, permit names and day limits measured September 11, 2026 and re-measured September 13, 2026.
- TempHomeFinder provider tiers — membership pricing checked September 13, 2026.
- BestRV listing data — July 2026 pull of 3,398 live listings across 71 US cities, methodology in our long-term RV rental guide.