Bowling Green, KY Parking Rules: Oversized Vehicle Parking (2026)

Bowling Green's Chapter 22 (Traffic and Motor Vehicles) does not include a citywide weight or length cap on residential-street parking. Instead, oversized vehicles - box trucks, RVs, fifth-wheel campers, large trailers, flatbeds, semi-tractors - are subject to the same three layers of authority as any other vehicle. First, Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.751 (Abandonment of vehicle on county road or city street) presumes any vehicle left on a city street for three consecutive days to be abandoned, with a fine of $25-$100 or 10-30 days for the responsible person and removal by a contracted tow operator. Second, KRS 189.450 (Stopping, standing, parking) prohibits parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, in any intersection or crosswalk, on a sidewalk, or in a manner that obstructs traffic; oversized vehicles often run afoul of these restrictions because of their footprint. Third, on private property, Section 27.4.03.a of the Bowling Green Property Maintenance Code (BGKY C27 27.4.03) prohibits keeping any junk motor vehicle - defined to include any inoperable vehicle, any vehicle without current plates, or any wrecked or partially dismantled vehicle - on private premises longer than three calendar days unless enclosed in a building; an unregistered, flat-tired semi-trailer or RV chassis sitting in a residential yard falls within this rule. Outdoor storage of RVs and travel trailers is also limited by zoning under Chapter 27, where the permitted residential dwelling types do not include RVs and outdoor storage rules vary by zoning district. Code Compliance & Animal Protection within Neighborhood & Community Services (270-393-3444) handles residential complaints; the Bowling Green Police Department handles street-side enforcement. The city's network of free public lots and garages (1,200+ spaces downtown) is generally not appropriate for long-term oversized-vehicle storage and is enforced through signage.