Alpharetta, GA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Storage location
- not visible from street
- Also allowed
- one business vehicle, same visibility rule
- Grandfather cutoff
- established before June 1994
- Variance decision
- Director rules within 30 days
- Appeal window
- 15 days to Board of Appeals
- Fine
- $250-$1,000 per offense, per day
Summary
In the City of Alpharetta, one business vehicle plus any recreational vehicles, boats or boat trailers may be parked or stored on a residential lot only in an area not visible from the street. Owners who stored boats or RVs out of compliance before June 1994 may keep doing so as a lawful nonconforming use, or apply for a variance.
One (1) business vehicle not prohibited by the provisions of this Ordinance from parking within a residential district and one or more recreational vehicles or boats, or boat trailers may be parked or stored in an area not visible from a street. ... Any person who, as of the effective date of this Article (6/94), has established a long-standing practice of parking or storing boats or recreational vehicles which is not in compliance with the provisions of C(1), above, may continue such practice as a lawful nonconforming use, subject only to the provisions of any applicable district regulations.
Full Breakdown
UDC § 2.5.4(B) allows one business vehicle not otherwise barred from a residential district, plus one or more recreational vehicles, boats, or boat trailers, to be parked or stored only in an area not visible from a street; regular storage of any other business vehicle, home-occupation vehicle, or any vehicle rated over one-and-one-half tons is prohibited outright, though daily-use pickup and panel trucks remain allowed in every residential district. Section 2.5.4(C) separately bars parking any vehicle without a current license plate on a residential lot except inside a completely enclosed building.
Anyone who had already established a long-standing practice of storing boats or RVs out of compliance with that rule as of the article's June 1994 effective date may continue as a lawful nonconforming use. Anyone else may apply in writing to the Director of Community Development for a variance, granted only for extreme hardship or an unusual circumstance rather than mere convenience; the Director must decide within 30 days, and a denial can be appealed in writing to the Board of Appeals within 15 days. Any variance the Director grants is personal to the applicant and ends when the lot is sold.
Violations & Fines
Storing an RV, boat, or boat trailer where it is visible from the street, or keeping an over-capacity or unplated vehicle outside a fully enclosed structure, is a Unified Development Code violation under § 5.9.2: conviction carries a fine of $250.00 to $1,000.00 per offense, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. The Director of Community Development can also order the vehicle's storage discontinued or pursue an injunction through Fulton County Superior Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my boat in my driveway in Alpharetta?
What if I've stored my RV in the same spot since before 1994?
How do I get permission to keep my boat visible from the street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alpharetta
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RV & Boat Parking in Nearby Cities
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