Owning an RV gives you a sense of freedom to travel anywhere and anytime without worrying about hotel bookings and other travel requirements. However, there is another side of the coin, which is the parking of RV in different neighborhoods.
Well, the good news is that your RV is a licensed vehicle, so you can park it on the city streets for a limited time duration depending upon the parking neighborhood or state.
Before moving further, I would like to share different types of streets. There are regular streets with no houses around, and then there are residential streets. It’s a moment of relief for all of us to find out that all the 50 states allow you to park the RV in the street,
You can park your RV in any type of street, whether on residential or non-residential places. The real question under discussion is the parking duration and time limit.
Parking Permit for RV
The rules for parking an RV in the street majorly depends on its purpose behind parking. You can either park it as a regular vehicle or as your sleeping accommodation. Some cities allow you to park the RV during the daytime only.
I want you to understand the difference between RV parking on the street and in your driveway, backyard, or garage. The latter RV parking is within your house vicinity and shouldn’t be regarded as a problem for your neighbors.
It’s a better approach to discuss RV parking permits before I elaborate on different state rules.
RV Guest Permit
The chief of police issues the RV guest permit, to an out-of-town visitor, for a limited time duration, to park the RV. The maximum duration of an RV guest permit is two weeks with a one-week extension.
RV Permit
The RV permit is a long-term permit issued by the chief of police to the resident of a town or city to park the RV in the permissible area. You can always renew the RV permit after two years. But, one RV permit is issued per residential address.
There is a commonly known timing clause valid for both the RV guest permit and the RV permit. You can park the RV on the street in a residential area from 10 PM to 6 AM time slot only. Moreover, you should follow the RV parking rules to park it along the curb line of the residential block listed in the permit.
By the way, you know that having an RV permit doesn’t guarantee a parking spot in the neighborhood.
Can RV Park on a Residential Street
You can legally park your RV on a residential street if you decide to sleep in the RV along with some guests. However, this RV parking is legal only for a few days as a short-term plan.
I would advise you not to convert this RV parking as a permanent solution to cater to your guests. Some of the RV owners utilize their RVs as guest rooms. But what they do is that they remove the RV from the street early in the morning before the neighbors see it parked.
What Are the RV Parking Rules in Different States?
Since I have reassured you that you can park your RV anywhere on the street. So let’s focus on the laws about the parking duration in different cities and states. Some residential states don’t allow the RV parking under special circumstances, such as construction and street cleaning.
RV Parking on the Street in New York
New York City has very relaxed rules for RV parking. You can park them in any of the NYC streets in one spot for 24 hours. However, you may need to find another location to park your RV the next day.
In some areas, you need to switch between the sides of the street at 2:30 am. The switching along the sides of the streets is because of the parking law.
RV Parking on the Street in Chicago
Chicago has strict rules about the RV parking as compared to those of New York. I am sorry to tell you that you can’t park your RV anywhere on the Chicago streets but only at the designated RV parking.
There is a convention center in North America known as McCormick Park, which allows parking the RV by charging a nominal fee of $22 per night. There are two designated locations to park the RV. However, you may need to relocate your RV in case of an event at the convention center.
There are two more locations for the RV parking. The first one is the 18th street located north of Soldier’s Field. The other is the 31st street open 24/7 for RV parking, with a week’s security deposit.
RV Parking on the Street in San Diego
There are strict laws such as The Neighborhood Parking Protection Ordinance to make the street safer by eliminating the negative effects of parking the RV on the streets. According to the city law, you can’t park your RV on the street during the time interval of 2 AM to 6 AM.
You can get the RV permit by paying a non-refundable fee of $1 with a cumulative 72 temporary permits per annum. The maximum duration of the RV permit is three days.
RV Parking on the Street in Portland
You can’t park the RV of any size or dimension on the city and residential streets. There are designated areas within the city, but you can’t park the RV for more than eight hours at a time. It’s better to check the Portland Oregon City rules before planning your trip with your RV to Portland.
RV Parking on the Street in New Orleans
You need a valid reason or special permission to park your RV at the French Quarter hotels by paying a hefty fee of $50 per day. Other than that, the city charges a parking fee even if you park your RV on the street.
Places Where You Can Park the RV
You can’t park anywhere on the street without paying attention to the neighborhood. But do you know there are some attractive spots on the streets to park the RV? Let’s check them out:
- Private property – If you get permission from the house owner then it’s the best deal to park the RV.
- School – Parking the RV during the night time near the schools sounds a very convenient option. However, some schools consider it trespassing and may press charges against the RV owner.
- Casino – Some casinos allow you to park the RV after paying the parking fee. It is advisable to check the policies beforehand.
- Truck shops – It’s a great spot to park the RV. Just talk to the people around about the rules.
- Walmart – Seventy Walmart around the US and Canada allow people to park their RVs in their spacious and secured parking lots.
- Cracker Barrel – It has a designated RV parking spot along with 24/7 surveillance. You don’t need to check-in before parking the RV.
- Cabela’s – It’s like Walmart and Cracker-barrel RV parking locations. Some other options are Camping World, Flying J Truck Stops, and Costco and Sam’s Club.
- Other – You can take permission from the church authorities to park the RV in the church’s parking lot.
Can Any Size of the RV Park on the Street?
It’s a very valid question. Most of the RVs vary in length only with a generic width ranging from eight to ten feet wide. A standard driving lane is twelve feet wide, so it means you can easily park your RV on the street irrespective of its size.
All you need is to be careful about its length, not blocking any road turn or any other street corner.
Final Verdict
Since you can park your RV on the streets, parking them on the residential streets is quite a safer option. Well, the trends are now shifting towards RV park models that allow us to stay at the home-like building structure RV models without paying the hefty per night bills of the hotel.
After having said that, I will recommend you travel in your RVs to explore different cities and to learn about their neighborhoods. Parking your RV on the residential streets allows you to bond with the locals. So, it’s not just a matter of parking the RV on the street but to find the right place on a friendly residential street to socialize and eat together.
As I discussed earlier, many cities have different RV parking rules, so it’s better to research them before planning your travel.
