Austin, TX Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

Section 25-2-893, Accessory Uses for a Principal Residential Use, treats RV, trailer, and boat storage as part of the broader vehicle-storage rules for houses. The baseline cap is one motor vehicle for each licensed driver living on the property, though a private garage can hold up to four vehicles regardless of driver count. Vehicles rated at one ton or more are banned from residential lots entirely, except that antique vehicles and recreational vehicles are exempt from that weight ban. Subsection (B)(7) is the specific RV, boat, and trailer allowance: up to two antique or recreational vehicles may sit on the premises, but only if the storage spot is not a health hazard and the vehicle sits either inside an enclosed structure like a garage or is screened from public view by a solid wood or masonry fence at least six feet tall.

Separately, only one commercial vehicle may be stored on a residential lot, and an inoperable vehicle, defined as one lacking valid plates or a valid safety inspection sticker for more than 90 days, or one that cannot legally be driven, may not sit in the adjacent public right-of-way for more than 72 hours. That inoperable-vehicle rule does not apply to an antique or recreational vehicle parked at the owner's own residence, or to a vehicle under repair for fewer than 60 days if no more than one other vehicle is also being worked on at the same time.

This section governs storage on the owner's own premises; a separate street-parking rule applies to trailers and RVs left on the public street rather than on private property.