Whether you own a motorhome or travel trailer, zoning laws and regulations vary widely from place to place. There are no national zoning laws for living in a travel trailer or other RV. But many cities across the US are now regulating this trendy lifestyle.
Many places are also starting to differentiate between tiny homes and travel trailers. They’re creating legislation that dictates where you can park. Laws also say for how long you can park. Even when parking on a property that you already own. Regulations are diverse and depend on a huge number of factors dictated by the city, county, and state of residence. It’s hard to give generalizations that would apply to everyone across the board. For the basics about how zoning laws impact RV and travel trailer owners, keep reading.
Motorhome and Travel Trailer Zoning Laws Basics
There are tons of reasons people live in RVs full-time or part-time, on vacation or just passing through. If you are one of them, you need to know about motorhome and travel trailer zoning laws. Educate yourself and stay on the right side of the law.
Motorhome and Travel Trailer Zoning Laws Differ from Place to Place
Zoning laws aren’t there to make your life hell. Some cities ban RV parking for good reasons. Having zoning regulations takes land use into consideration for the impact it will have on the surrounding area.
Cities and counties break up their space into areas approved for different usages. For example, they will zone a particular lot for residential or business purposes. Imagine driving into a residential cul-de-sac and finding a dermatology office in the middle of a neighborhood. Having a doctor’s office in the middle of a neighborhood would likely lead to major issues with parking, safety, and noise.
It is up to individual areas how they choose to zone land and what activities they will and won’t permit. Zoning laws can also change over time as needed to accommodate a community’s changing needs. Or, as people abuse free overnight parking for RVs.
How Zoning Laws Define Tiny Homes and RVs
Some areas lump tiny homes and RVs into the same category when it comes to zoning regulations. If you live in either, you know these types of dwellings can be very different.
The biggest point of legal separation between the two is whether or not the tiny home has a foundation. If the home is on wheels, it is often considered an RV and should be registered as one.
Similarly, DIY travel trailers may be subject to inspection. Passing it will be required before you can register that RV and get a license plate.
Many zoning regulations include the abbreviation “ADU.” An ADU is an “accessory dwelling unit.” This usually applies to a tiny home built on a permanent foundation. Examples include a shed, pool house, or guesthouse.
However, some municipalities do not make clear distinctions between the two. A trailer permanently parked in a backyard with an existing home may qualify as an ADU as well.
Why Zoning Laws Matter to RVers
Does it matter if your trailer is considered an RV or ADU? Why do you need to bother with zoning laws at all? What if you’re only planning to stay in one spot for a day or two? Is it really that big a deal?
In short, it is a big deal. It is your responsibility to inform yourself so that you can abide by local and state laws.
Just like zoning laws can vary widely, the consequences of violating those zoning laws can vary widely as well. A violation may result in something as simple as you having to move your travel trailer elsewhere.
Or a violation can result in a large fine, civil penalties, or even a criminal proceeding and possible imprisonment.
Chances are, most cities don’t send cops to find and arrest travel trailers parked inappropriately. But to avoid any potential problems and frustrations, it’s best to know who to contact. This ensures your travel trailer is parked legally.
How to Find Zoning Information About RVs
In some areas, living in a travel trailer full-time just isn’t permitted. That is, unless it’s in a dedicated RV park or campground. But as the trend grows, hopefully more places may create regulations to accommodate those who prefer a non-standard living arrangement.
If you plan to spend more than one night somewhere, do your homework. Find zoning information about RVs by locating the county or city zoning department (whether online, over the phone, or in-person). Usually, there is a department that deals specifically with zoning and land use. However in some areas that may be incorporated into another department.
Be upfront and clear about your questions and intentions. Local governments aren’t in the business of making your life harder (even though it might feel that way sometimes). They can’t help you if they don’t understand what you need.
Explain what you want to do, whether to set up an RV permanently on your own property, park for an extended stay at a relative or friend’s house, or rent a plot of land for a short or long-term stay in your travel trailer.
Let local authorities know your goals. This helps them accurately assess your plans or offer suggestions and solutions for problems you may face.
Examples of Motorhome and Travel Trailer Zoning Laws
Every city and county has its own individual rules and regulations regarding travel trailers and RVs. It may be helpful to go over some specifics in a few different places. Even if these areas aren’t on your list, this could give you an idea of what different communities allow.
RV Zoning Laws in Las Vegas, Nevada
A flyer released from the City of Las Vegas’s department of planning lists 20 of their most commonly asked questions about city code enforcements, several of which deal with RVs and travel trailers.
When asked, “Can a person live in a motor home or trailer parked on my property or on the street?” the city responds that under no circumstances can RVs be either connected to residential utilities or lived in unless in a designated RV park.
The city of Las Vegas also has strict guidelines about storing RVs in residential areas inside the city limits.
If the RV is stored outside of an enclosed building, there are several regulations that vary according to how the residential property is zoned, what part of the yard the RV is stored on, and the size of the lot as well as the size of the RV.
What RV Zoning Laws Look Like in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City makes clear distinctions between mobile homes and travel trailers. A mobile home is any moveable structure more than 8 feet wide and 32 feet long. A portable vehicle with a living area of less than 220 square feet is considered a travel trailer.
By these definitions, some larger travel trailers may be considered mobile homes under Kansas City laws, and subject to different regulations.
- Section 72-2 of the city’s zoning code says that travel trailers are only allowed within authorized travel trailer camps.
- Section 72-9 goes further to say that parking travel trailers on streets or other public places is also prohibited.
In other areas of the state, like Franklin County, Missouri, it was legal to live in a tent, camper, or motor home for up to 90 days in any land zoned “agricultural non-urban” prior to 2014.
The law was changed, however, after police received noise complaints in regard to people living in campers.
Franklin county noted that they do not typically cite campers for violations unless a complaint is received, which makes a good case for having a good-neighbor policy wherever you decide to camp.
Motorhome and Travel Trailer Zoning Rules in Hubbardton, Vermont
The town of Hubbardton, Vermont says that travel trailers can be parked and occupied for up to one month in a 12-month period within a residential district.
It also stipulates that unoccupied travel trailers less than 30 feet long may be parked for longer as long as the occupied period is less than one month.
The city code also designates travel trailers under the term “manufactured home” when it is placed on any site for more than 180 consecutive days.
How Naples, Florida Handles RV and Travel Trailer Zoning Laws
In Naples, Florida, the city code (section 56-42) states that travel trailers can get approved by the city manager for an overnight parking permit to park on private property for two consecutive nights.
It further says that the city manager can approve a travel trailer or motor home for a longer period of time if the RV has handicapped facilities that are needed for the occupant.
Naples also has residential areas that are specifically zoned for mobile home, modular home, and RV usage. If a plot of land that you purchase is zoned for RV use, then it is acceptable to set up your travel trailer as a residence.
Red Tape Saves RV Parking Hassles in the Long Run
There are lots of places across the country that are RV friendly. Letting local authorities know your intentions can make a huge difference in how travel trailer zoning laws affect you.
Some areas may prohibit parking on private land. But they may be willing to make an exception. For example, if you want to live in your travel trailer while you build or renovate a permanent home.
They may grant permission to rezone a parcel of land serviced by a well and septic system. You might be successful in a bid to live in an off-grid travel trailer equipped with a composting toilet and solar panels.
Motorhome and travel trailer zoning laws are developed for safety, and that includes yours. It may be annoying at times to go through governmental red tape to secure a permit or get approval. But doing so is worth it because it saves you a hassle in the long run.
The bottom line is this: abiding by regulations makes your experience more positive. Working with local officials shows your good faith and allows both sides to more easily help one another.
I live in NYS and we have a camper that we have always left in our driveway. New owners now say we can not do this. Do the owners need to supply us with a safe spot to store them.
No, they don’t. As the owner of the vehicle, it is your sole responsibility to find a place to store it, if your landlord, or local officials, will not allow you to store it wherever it is now, and to pay for it.
I lot everything, with everyone else in the area, in the Campfire 2018. I rented the home I had lived in over 10 years. I had/have no place else to go. There are some programs to help build a home, grants to help with septic repairs, a few grants for other things- all available to people who owned homes at the time of the fire. If you did not own a home, there are no programs for you to help you to live in the town that was your “home”. I did not choose to live in an RV. I detest living in an RV. Make no mistake, I appreciate having someplace, anyplace for shelter. All of this mess here is the result of PG&E’s conscience neglect and recklessness and knowledge of the extreme condition of their equipment at exactly the place the fire began, since 2013 and did nothing to repair any of the noted impending failures. I am stuffed in here with two birds, two dogs and another person. There is no room for anything. No room for the life I had or anything I used to work with. We only get a fraction of our “claims”. With the little I received I bought a piece of land in paradise. Hoping to somehow get a mortgage to build an 800 sq foot home. I haven’t been able to do that. In the meantime, we are not allowed to park our Rv’s on the lots we own to live in until we can put homes on the properties. There are people squatting on parcels they do not own. With no septic, water or electricity. It is so hard to remove them legally that some have been living on properties for years now. But if you own your property, you re not allowed to and will be removed if you do. Even if you have your septic, electricity and water hooked up and legal. I cannot get a mortgage to build and live on property I own. I am in a park that made it known in the beginning that they plan to allow RV’s for now but will be putting homes in all spaces. The RV I am in leaks. The floors are getting wavy. Water in the walls. Water raising up the counters. The front door leaks and around the windows water comes in. Rats chew through the bottom of the trailer and come in. This is a 2019 trailer. It leaked from the beginning. Before I made it out of town that day my home was already gone. By four more hours while at an evacuation center, it was announced my town was gone. One day. For almost 5 years, it’s been groveling and exhausting. If you were on the edge financially to begin with, something happens out of your control, you aren’t starting over you are starting from behind that. I am 63. On disability. In a rotting RV. In a park that I don’t have long to stay in. No where I can go. Spent what I got for a piece of land I can’t even live on. I cannot handle the unknown when it comes to someplace to live. Which was in place and fine until it was completely destroyed by the same flames that also took friend’s and their animals lives. By whatever circumstances, people are left with few to no options for someplace to live. People exist and so have to live someplace. Moving people here to here to here is not an answer. Keeping people from living here or here is not an answer. Keeping people from complete homelessness also does not seem to have any answers. I can take care of myself just fine, once I have someplace. I just need some help getting into a place or getting help to get started and I can go from there. There are MANY people from the same incident in the same position. We
were and are responsible people. We aren’t looking for everything for nothing. We aren’t disturbing or disruptive.
We aren’t harassing anyone. We aren’t causing damage or trouble. We are just trying to get to have a life again and have someplace to live it from. Needing a program or some assistance to bridge here to there and we can go on from there on our own. Without assistance, we are headed for the same homelessness so many are currently existing in. We are headed for the same life and treatment homeless already live with. We can’t even get our own Town to help previous renters get to go home again. People of this State can’t even get help from a Governor who’s state has the worst homeless problem in the Country. Who also bailed out the Utility company who has left us and the other’s from their various killing sprees drop off to oblivion but, has also approved rate hikes for everyone in the state to help repay the Utility for their “losses” incurred having to “pay” for their own negligence. Thank God RV’s exist for anyone lucky enough to have access to one for shelter. It’s something when you have nothing else. Just like the people in them, you have to put them somewhere. If the State continues to let the situations that drop people off at the homeless station, and do nothing to help, then RV’s are going to start piling up on their streets too. I apologize for the length of the comment. I can’t apologize for my frustration or anger. It’s been almost 5 years of all of this and I can’t say I’m strong enough to handle anymore. I can say I dont want to be anywhere anymore.
Believe it or not, I’m in the same situation, I’m. 64 years old with my dog. Just need a piece of land so I can put my trailer there until I build zoning laws of keeping me from doing that now where to iGo?
I. Leave in a mobile home Estate I own a modular home paid for..the management decided to have RV and camper behind our our Houses. Tey are not connected to city sewer they have septic tanks we deal with human waste smell every day and also infestation of bugs. We pay space rent every months. And some of does camper are on some resident space rent. My electricity and my gas is been connected to my meter and I have been charged300 dollars for gas this month and 200. Dollars for electricity the mobile ex manager hired professional to switch the utilities to my meter wile I was in2021 in the hospital for 6 months I have been trying to get help from Helmet Code Enforcement fair housing environment Health and I went to Helmet city hall and they told me is nothing they can’t do .I need to go to small claim court I don’t have any money to pay for a Lawyer .I am 80 years old.but I have picture proof of the utilities and and a care giver as a witness for the smell .I try to find the owner of the park it is no we’re to be fine
Maybe people are worried about their property values dropping by allowing people to live in trailers or tents. They worry about the type of people it would attract lower income people and that they think it would devalue neighboring or nearby homes and properties bringing crime and drugs into the city.
There’s a camper in my driveway that a Christian single man lives in. He just got a good job that pays very well. He’s saving money to put towards a down payment on a house. With that being said, I’m being harassed by the county here in Middle TN. You mentioned drugs. Well this guy doesn’t do anything that I’m aware of. But there’s plenty of drugs and weapons across the creek which runs in behind my house. The county doesn’t and hasn’t said anything to those drug dealers or crackheads. I’d much rather have the Christian guy live in my driveway. He’s super quiet and doesn’t bother anyone. I don’t see what the problem is. Trying to understand why all of a sudden it’s a big deal.
That’s exactly how I feel I’ve gotten over 20 warnings and eight tickets because I live in a 27 ft motorhome which is also my place of business,I’m an artist I’m retired 911 dispatcher from Navy base Ventura county and my fiance is a retired county ventura worker who gets a pension and they harass us and harass us and harasses and harasses to the point where I have anxiety every morning about having to move because there’s an ordinance here no parking on residential streets from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. and it’s just crazy I was the victim of a vandal and she broke my front windows out and liability insurance wouldn’t cover it so I’m trying to deal with it as best I can it’s it’s just crazy how people judge I understand about the people you know the crackheads and the people out there that do bring attention to us quiet people but sometimes people just doesn’t don’t like this the sight of RVs on residential street and they’ll call in and report you for nothing but it’s not a crime to own one and it’s not a crime to be on this street so I don’t know I’m I understand where you’re coming from it’s crazy
There is a reason my accountant showed me several years ago. There are several advocacy groups in the nation that are funded federally pushing an agenda they don’t even completely understand themselves called Agenda 21 and agenda 30 now these agendas dictate how many people should live on the Earth what they should eat and we should save the Earth from people living in it
The big deal is that they can’t tax the guy living the trailer, and since the trailer doesn’t add anything to your property value, they can’t tax you, either. Eventually you’re going to have a showdown with them, which you will lose, and be forced to remove the trailer from your driveway.
I’m a Florida native and there are hundreds of RV’s moving here from all over. I’ve read 2,000 people a day are moving to Florida that need homes. People now are taking their empty lots and rigging them with power and septic tanks to rent out to transients or motorhome owners. I’ve got neighbors on both sides of my small lot setting up RV parks and I’m pissed off about it. I’ll have five motorhomes on either side of my 150×300′ lot with noise, trash and constant vehicle moving. I don’t know who it will be if they’re criminals or hopefully good people. I worry about my wife being alone with new people 10′ off my property line. My Grandmother bought this land in 1963, my parents retired here and now I have to put up with this as I’m married and retired. The land is zoned “single family” lots.
I doubt that it sounds single-family Lots because obviously that’s not what they’re using the lot for. Learn to live and Let Live okay?
The problem is not the motorhome. It’s you and regulators not enforcing health and safety.
Call local official. Report that this mess outside the RV as a health and safety issue because it attracts rodents, flies, and pests. Have them force your RV neighbors to keep clean.
I’m not against RV living. In fact as cost of living rises, property taxes rise, retirement income is fixed, seniors (and others) still need a place to live. But there are bad neighbors that come in all ages and packages. We have laws for that. But this should not be a case of baby out with bath water. RV living should be permitted, esp for seniors and those on limited/fixed income.
So it’s a give and take. Both sides need to understand the nusance side and need side. Just remember, “just by the grace of God, go I.” You could find yourself someday needing to live in an RV.
How to i get a permit for adu for my rv. Or how to I get a permit for a sick person to live in rv
It’s amazing how this article clearly states you have to speak with the zoning commissioners in the city/county in which you want to park your RV, and the comments are filled with people asking, “Can I live in my RV in X city/county?” Did people not read the article, or are they too lazy to do the work themselves?You have to seek out the answers yourselves, folks! lol
I’m renting a lot in Colorado Springs, Co. I have a travel trailer I parked on the lot. There are laundry and shower facilities. They have changed the codes several times and the manager told me she would text the codes out sometimes we come in late and the office is closed. I was just in the office to pay rent. They changed the codes again and didn’t tell me. Part of the rent is we have full access to these facilities. Can I put in a complaint against them? They like to also make threats to much about kicking people out. Sometimes they push people out. A lady and her kids loved next door to me. They didn’t want her kids playing outside even. Like I asked can I make a complains against them and who do I contact to do so?
I’m out outskirts of colorado springs. What rv park are you at? If you want to not say I get it…. I have a rv, im full time, get out of the springs and look towards, divide, woodland park, manitou,…. thats why I left the city area. Drive a few miles out any direction and you’ll find better quality. (Close to teller County us ideal) im very happy where I am. Good luck and get outta there!
We are planning on buying property on the property is a house to be worked on. We want to place our pull behind on the property will we gut the house out. In Topeka Kansas is it aloud to place the pull behind on our property and live in it maybe permanently. What are the zoning here in Topeka Kansas. And is it possible to live in the camper on land we are buying
Our home burned to the ground January 10 2022 and we have a motorhome for long distance doctors appointments because my wife has 4th stage liver cancer. We were blessed by God to have the rv. Our insurance came through and we’re trying to find a piece of land to set up on and restart our lives. Where does the US Constitution say you can’t live in a box as long as you own your property?! We can’t buy land
I totally agree with you and understand your plight. People need these things to live in – sometimes emergency and sometimes permanent.
What municipalities have done is what they always do: solve a problem, create another problem.
We need regulations to permit the use of RVs not bann then wholesale. But to date the answer is “no RVs.” It’s a problem because there is a growing need to live in them. Saying no RVs is sticking your head in the sand.
They don’t want you living in an RV, because it adds nothing to the value of your land, and they can’t tax you like they would a house. It’s all about the money.
Hey I live in Valdese NC and I was homeless for a couple of years , and moved a lot couldn’t find a stable foundation to try to make a new start from no family my kids are grown and on their on I don’t burden them with my struggles so I bought a camper from my x husband and a friend allowed me to put on his property and live in it! A couple of months was all I thought would be needed to get an apartment or house but times are real hard right now work is not going well I’m starting to panic , town laws here not sure of its right accros the legion hut in valdese nc 28690 so what are the laws here any loop holes I need to know or that would be in my favor so I can stay here without causing the family to get fined and no laws are broken desperate need help here
I own a piece of land in citrus County (Inverness) Florida… can I put a motorhome on it and live in it year-round or how can I find out?
Call your county’s zoning department.
I’m renting a lot in a mobile home park and I want to put a camper on it ,can I? I own my mobile home but I pay lot fee.i need to put a camper on it so that I can rent it out. I’m having trouble lifting and I need a strong body to help me plus I’m very soon going to have another knee surgery as a single mom I need help with things around the house .
I doubt the management of the park will allow you to do that, because it falls under the heading of sub-letting, which the vast majority of landlords will prohibit you from doing in the terms of the lease. They want only one person responsible for the payment of the rent, and they don’t want the hassle of having to evict someone who they haven’t been collecting rent from, in case you are ever unable to pay. Oh, and you will also be held responsible for any damages that your tenant causes to your landlord’s property, because yours is the only name on the lease.
Can I live in a camper travel trailer and Pickens County for the rest of my life on a hardship case
CAN MY WIFE AND I AND MY DOG LEGALLY LIVE IN MY TRAVEL TRAILER IN MASON COUNTY, MICH ? AND, IF SO ARE THERE PLACES WE CAN DO THIS YEAR AROUND ?
Just do it make it as up to code as possible don’t be a nuissance be friendly to neighbors pay your taxes get bills turned on keep lot looking amazing and no-one will complain in fact they will appreciate the area looking brighter and homier.