Highlands County, FL Parking Rules: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (2026)

217 restricts how large a commercial vehicle can be parked on a residentially zoned lot in unincorporated Highlands County. A resident may park a commercial vehicle rated at one ton or less in the open on the property, provided the vehicle belongs to someone who actually lives there. A larger commercial vehicle, up to two tons, is allowed only if it is kept inside an enclosed garage, again limited to vehicles used by a resident of the premises. Nonresidential uses that are otherwise permitted on a property may keep whatever commercial or other vehicles are necessary and customary for that use, but the ordinance is explicit that this does not extend to parking school buses used by public, private or parochial schools; those remain barred from residential lots regardless of weight or garaging.

The section carves out one further exception for private entities that the county has placed on its approved list of emergency-service providers: an approved entity may park one emergency-services vehicle on its property outside a garage, as long as it is positioned in a spot that meets the accessory-structure setbacks that apply in that zoning district. The rule sits in Article 10 of the Land Development Regulations (chapter 12), alongside the county's off-street parking and loading standards, and applies to every residential zoning district in the unincorporated county.