Gaston County, NC Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

12 of the Unified Development Ordinance treats a recreational vehicle as never a dwelling unit; outside an approved camping and RV park or a space within a Manufactured Home Park, an RV cannot be used for living, sleeping or housekeeping. The parking limits apply to all residential-zoned lots except lots over five acres in the R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts. No more than one RV, such as a motor home or travel trailer, over eight feet in height, and no more than one boat or trailer combination over eight feet in height, may be parked on a lot with a principal single-family dwelling.

The RV must sit behind the front building line of the principal structure and stay at least 15 feet from any side property line, or five feet from a rear property line, and must sit on a gravel or hard-surface parking area, not bare ground. A boat or trailer combination follows a related but separate rule: it must be parked behind the rear building line and at least five feet from any property line. The ordinance carves out a visitor exception: an RV owned by a visiting guest, rather than the property owner, may park beyond the front building line for up to 14 consecutive days, capped at three such parking events per calendar year on any one lot, and never in a way that blocks a motorist's line of sight.

For multifamily developments with a designated RV or boat parking area, that area must sit outside any required setback, buffer, or landscaped area. The rule applies only in the unincorporated county; the seven municipalities inside Gaston County administer their own separate RV and boat parking standards.