RV Parking at Home: Can I Park My RV in My Backyard?
While owning an RV is fun, parking can be a nightmare. Now that you have the RV of your dreams, you may find out that your dream RV will cause you to lose sleep at night. That is because parking it is not straightforward nor consistent throughout the nation.
Can I Park My RV in My Backyard? The answer to this question will be- depends. While there are no real state and federal laws governing where you park your vehicle, you may have local and HOA rules that will govern your RV parking situation.
The real issue is if you live in your RV or not. To find out if you can park your RV in your backyard or not just continue to read our article. It should have the answers to most of your parking questions.
Can You Park an RV in Your Backyard
The answer to this debate question is yes or no. It will depend on the city you live in and if you belong to an HOA or some other neighborhood association. If these have rules or laws against parking your RV in your backyard, then you would have to find a storage place that will accommodate your recreational vehicle.
These storage spots may cost you the same as the monthly rent on a cheap apartment, upwards of $400 more or less. But these RV storage yards may spare you the hassle you will get from city officials and your neighbors.
One thing that may be in your favor is that these rules and laws may be outdated. You may be able to challenge them and get them changed if they are. What you would have to do is prove that your RV is not a safety hazard or that it will not ruin the neighborhood look.
We cannot give you any blanket rules and regulations because they all change from community to community. They also change from HOA to HOA. You would have to do some research on your part for your local community or talk to your city officials to see what you are allowed to do.
Parking an RV in The Backyard
One of the reasons there is a parking your RV in your back yard issue is that too many RV purchasers think about traveling. They are not thinking about where they are going to put their RV when they are at home relaxing from their latest trip.
This lapse creates some headaches for RV owners. Before you buy, you should check your town’s regulations on parking your RV at your home. This will save you a lot of trouble and may spare you the expense of storing it an RV storage facility.
Another solution would be to remove some of your yard and widen your current driveway so your driveway can accommodate your RV. The key, of course, is to do all of this research and investigation before you sign on the dotted line and drive your new RV to your home.
Creating your backyard parking spot will also take a little time and you should have it in place again, before you bring the vehicle to your residence. You may want to check with the building codes department of your city to make sure what kind of construction you will need to park your RV in your backyard.
Can You Park a Travel trailer in Your Driveway
Generally speaking, yes you can park your RV in your driveway. But you may also run into local or HOA rules that may have a say in this discussion. We cannot speak for every city or community but usually parking your RV in your driveway is allowed.
Just make sure not to block the sidewalk when you do. If you can’t, you may be able to find outside storage facilities for about $100 or more and indoor storage for around $300 or more per month.
Those fees make it very attractive to park your vehicle in your driveway. Plus, doing so will allow you to keep an eye on it. There are 5 things to consider when parking your RV in your driveway:
1. The length - how long your RV is will be a very important factor. You can’t block the sidewalk.
2. The width - if your RV is too wide you may not be able to park all your cars on your property causing you some issues. Then if it gets too close to your neighbor’s property you may have a little trouble there as well.
3. The height - your problem here would be if your RV is so tall it knocks out the power lines when you move it. The power company may charge you a heavy cost if they have to repair or move the power lines.
4. The slope of your driveway - this is an important factor as you do not want your RV rolling out into the middle of the street at the wrong time. You need to check if you are going to hit your back bumper, or if you need ramps to get over high curbs and so on.
5. The neighbors - not every person you live near will have the same perspective about your RV as you do. They may see it as an eyesore and want to get it out of their view. Talk to your neighbors first to make sure they are okay with parking your RV in your driveway.
Motorhome Parked Outside My house - What to do
If the motorhome or RV is legally licensed and insured, etc., and meets all regulations then there may be little you can do about an RV parked outside if your home. The owner has the legal right to use the city streets for his or her RV.
However, local communities, neighborhood associations, and cities may have created and implemented their own rules on this issue. If the motorhome is in violation of those rules, then you can call the police or the HOA office and complain.
When you complain you should be aware that the city and HOA officials response are limited by law. You may not get the preferred action because the laws do not allow certain responses to take place.
If the RV is parked longer than the allotted time, usually 24 or 72 hours, then you can ask the police to tow the vehicle. Other than that, you may not be able to do a lot when RVs are parked outside your home.
What you need to do is check the laws and see what responses are allowed and ask the city or police, or even HOA officials to take the appropriate action. Keep in mind that the RVs may only move a block or two away when those actions are implemented.
RV Parking at Home Tips
Once you find out that you can park your RV at your home, here are some tips to guide you. Having tips may help you avoid confrontations with neighbors and city officials as well as the police:
- Think of your neighbors - make sure your RV does not really affect or impact their lifestyles or intimidate them in any way. Also. Be careful not to get too close to your neighbor’s property.
- Keep the sidewalk clear - make sure your RV is not so long that it blocks the sidewalk in front of your home. The sidewalk is a public area to be used by everyone.
- Do not block the line of sight - this is a safety issue as you and your neighbors need to see down the street to make sure no one is coming in their direction and so on. They also do not want to hit pedestrians or cyclists.
- Make the foundation solid - that is the pad for your RV should be strong enough to hold the vehicle without breaking or cracking and so on.
- Get the clearance you need - you may have to trim off tree limbs and cut bushes down to size to make sure you have the clearance you need to avoid damaging your RV.
- Watch your home’s roofline - you do not want to hit it backing up into position. Hitting your roof line may damage both your home and RV causing you extra expenses.
- Keep your RV level - not only will this help you block the wheels, it will protect your RV’s fridge.
- Build an RV garage - this will help keep you in your neighbor’s good graces as well as protect your RV from the elements or vandals. Just check on building codes before you do.
- Add a gate - this makes your home more attractive and gives you resell value. Plus, it will help protect your RV from intruders.
- Check your electricity hookups - you may not need them but knowing where they are and how much power cord length you need will save you some time and help you park your RV better.
- Use a white hose - that is if you intend to hook your RV up to a water source, including an outdoor faucet. This is done if you plan on using your RV as a guest house.
- Prepare a waste solution - you will need this if you do use your RV for friends and relatives who stop by for a visit.
- Add a privacy screen - this may keep the neighbors happy since the screen will block their view of your RV while giving privacy to your guests.
Consider Other Options
Instead of going through all the headaches and hassles that come from parking your RV at your home, you can consider another option. One great option is to not park your RV at your home.
You do this by using a company that specializes in renting out RVs for those people who want to have an RV vacation but do not want the hassles of ownership. It is possible that you can make a lot of money off your idle RV in this fashion.
The reason you use a company instead of doing this option privately is because the company should have good insurance coverage, roadside assistance, and other functions that protect your interests and your vehicle.
There is no guarantee that you will make a lot of money doing this but it is a better option than storing your RV and paying huge storage fees. Or it may help avoid issues with your neighbors.
Do I Need a Permit For an RV Hook Up?
This may be a tricky issue to navigate as some communities may view your RV and a permanent hookup as a second home. If you do install an RV hook up, you may be opening yourself up to paying additional city taxes for having a second home on your property.
The way to avoid this is to make sure you can park the RV in your backyard where no one really sees it on a day-to-day basis.Since many cities do not consistently enforce their rules on RVs you may get away with it until you anger your neighbors for whatever reason and they rat you out.
If they do, you may face a lot of fines and other expenses for having a permanent RV hook up on your property.
Some Final Words
Parking your RV in your backyard is certainly doable. The key to the issue will depend on your local laws and housing association rules. You will need to do your research and make sure you are thorough. You do not want to miss some obscure law or rule that an angry neighbor may find to use against you.
When you do park your RV in your backyard or driveway, make sure you are prepared for that event. The pad needs to be strong, you have fencing or privacy screens and so on.
Check all the facets that come with parking your RV there and make sure you make the proper provision for them. Just make sure you stay in your neighbor’s good graces when you do park your rig at your home.
