Is It A Good Idea To Park Your RV At Home?

So you finally want to realize your dream to drive across the country or go on long camping trips on your very own trailer – but where do you plan to park a huge recreational vehicle (RV)? Well, you have two options: park your RV in your own private property or rent a parking space at an overnight parking or long-term motorhome parking.

You may think nothing is stopping you from parking your own vehicle in your privately owned residential property, but hold off on that thought. Ideally, you can just drive a trailer home and keep it in your property when not in use. However, doing so may actually incur fines and even jail time in some states, so keeping an RV at home may not be a viable option.

So before you buy an RV and drive it back to your garage to save on RV parking space expenses, you first need to consider whether you’re even legally allowed to do that.

Is it legal to park your RV in your residence?

Is it legal to park your RV in your residence?

You may have purchased your residential property, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re free to park a huge recreational vehicle in your garage or backyard. Likewise, parking oversized vehicles on residential streets is generally prohibited or only allowed for a short period of time.

Depending on the state you live in, the law may prohibit RV parking at home even if it is your private property. For instance, it is strictly prohibited to park an RV on driveways in Delaware, Georgia, most cities in Kentucky, and many localities across Virginia – even if the driveway is part of your private/residential property. 

Even in states that do allow RV owners to park at home, you may still be penalized if homeowners associations enforce neighborhood regulations against it or require special permits that impose special rules to do so. Furthermore, in most cases, RVs will only be allowed within the perimeter of a private property.

Some of the usual conditions that allow RV parking in private properties include:

• Size and type of RV (i.e., Class B or smaller travel trailers only)
• Storage structure (i.e., covered garage vs. outdoors)
• Driveway surface (i.e., concrete vs. dirt path)
• Clearance between the vehicle and curb line (e.g., 8 to 10 feet)
• Location of parking (i.e., side yard, back yard, covered garage)
• Other parked vehicles (i.e., some states or neighborhoods allow only up to two vehicles)
• Usage (i.e., for parking purposes only, residing in the RV while parked is not allowed)
• Distance from perimeter (i.e., must be a certain distance away from the fence)

Each municipality within the state may also impose certain restrictions, so it’s best to call up your municipality and neighborhood association to ensure you meet all their conditions.

If you don’t have a large enough space to park an RV inside the perimeter of your property, such as a backyard, side yard, garage or a spacious driveway, consider RV storage facilities instead.

But if there are no legal issues stopping you from keeping your trailer in your property and you have ample space for an RV parking at home.

RV Parking at Home

Aside from lowering expenses, you probably want to park your RV in your own residence for peace of mind and accessibility, but doing so may not be as advantageous as you think.

First of all, considering possible legal restrictions, you may need to undertake a construction project to house your motorhome. Second is that you may be at a disadvantage if state or municipality laws get stricter or change, wasting your efforts and expenses.

Will it be worth the savings?

Depending on the size of your mobile home, type of facility and the amenities included, renting a parking space can cost anywhere between $400 and $1,500 a month – a huge expense regardless of whether you can spare the funds or not.

On the flipside, keeping your RV on your property isn’t cheap either if you consider the possible construction and improvements you may need to undertake to keep up with regulations. You may wonder why there’s a need for construction, but just know that this is on a case-by-case basis depending on the municipal regulations regarding RVs.

For instance, regulations may require that RVs be parked in an indoor storage so, if you only have an open driveway, you may have to expand your covered garage to avoid being penalized. Likewise, if parking on a flat concrete surface is required, you can kiss your carefully landscaped lawn goodbye and pour concrete on it.

Even if you have the skills to DIY the whole project, you still need to pay for raw materials for the build.

You also need to note that regulations differ depending on the municipality and neighborhood association where you reside so your building project will change depending on them. It’s best to confirm the rules with the proper authorities instead of making assumptions based on someone else’s or a previous experience as you may be unknowingly breaking the law.

That said, if there are no legal issues and you already have the legally accepted structure(s) and space in place, you can park your RV at home in peace while also saving money in the long run.

However, if there are still improvements that need to be made to your driveway, side or backyard, consider drawing up a comparison between home parking and paid storage facility to help you decide.

RV Parking Considerations: Home vs Facility

Let’s assume that you’re legally allowed to park your RV in your private property and it is spacious enough to accommodate an oversized vehicle. Below are a few other things you need to consider before deciding whether to park at home or a commercial RV storage.

Space

What RV class will you own and do you have ample space in your property to park an oversized vehicle? With the exception of the more compact 16-24 foot Class B RVs and travel trailers (approx. 12 to 35 feet), most other campers, other RV Classes have a minimum length of 20 feet.

The sheer size alone makes having enough space in your property for both parking and mandated distance from the street a top consideration since your RV can get towed for violating the rules.

Parking facilities for oversized vehicles, however, have ample space for both RV parking and maneuvering. Furthermore, facilities would have already secured all the necessary permits and know the pertinent laws with regard to parking an RV in their business property.

Security

Keeping your camper at home will give you peace of mind since you’ll be able to keep an eye on it at all times – a great advantage if you’re mostly home. 

Decent commercial RV storage facilities don’t skimp on providing protection for stored RVs and even offer round the clock surveillance within and along the perimeter of the storage site.

Of course, no place is 100 percent secure and no security system is perfect, whether at home or in a commercial facility. Both options offer security with a measurable amount of risk – the deciding factor would likely be which one you’re more comfortable with.

Weather

Exposure to weather will wear down or damage your camper’s exterior protection leading to damages on the unit. Damages can be something superficial (i.e., cracked and faded paint) to something more serious, such as the deterioration of caulking and waterproofing that may cause damage to the interiors and other important mechanisms. If you plan to sell your RV in the future, these potential damages would lower its resale value.

This is why it’s important to consider how to protect your RV regardless of where you will park it.

If you wish to keep it in your private property, determine whether it will be housed in your garage or any indoor space, or at least if a roof or prefabricated cover needs to be installed to increase protection from weather damages. Choosing this option may require you to shell out anywhere from $2,500 to over $10,000, depending on the type of cover and size of your RV.

Commercial facilities offer both covered and outdoor parking for RV storage, so it’s best to choose one according to the storage duration.

Maintenance

Keeping your RV in top shape is necessary since it tends to be used for long drives and on various terrains.

If you inspect and maintain the unit yourself, there’s no arguing that parking your RV at home may be the better choice because it makes your unit very accessible and easier to inspect regularly. 

If you keep your RV in a storage facility, your inspections and repairs would be limited to the business hours and there may be limitations in what types of maintenance you can do within the premises.

Increasing interest in RV ownership

A statistical study conducted by Consumer Affairs shows there are 11.2 million households that own an RV, with about 22 percent of owners aged 18 to 34-year-old. Interest in the recreational vehicle (RV) lifestyle continues to increase even among younger generations, and it is even projected that another 9.6 million households plan to make a purchase within the next five years.

Interest in recreational vehicle ownership increased in the past decade, and especially rose enough in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and perhaps even you may already have cross-country camper dreams. 

But before you even buy that RV, make sure to read up and understand the pertinent laws and local ordinances to avoid violating the rules and maximize your enjoyment for the nomadic or camper lifestyle.