Bellingham, WA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

Bellingham's RV and boat-trailer framework draws on two layers. First, BMC Chapter 11.33 (Parking, Standing, and Stopping) is the city's primary on-street parking authority, with BMC Chapter 11.17 (Parking Enforcement) covering process and BMC Chapter 11.18 (Vehicle Impoundment) covering tow-away. Under BMC 11.33.060, vehicles may not remain continuously parked for more than seventy-two hours on any city street; the rule expressly applies to motorhomes, travel trailers, boat trailers, utility trailers, cars, trucks, vans, buses, motorcycles, and motor scooters. When a complaint is filed, a parking technician responds, places an orange warning tag on the vehicle, and documents the vehicle's location; the owner then has seventy-two hours to move the vehicle before it may be impounded. Second, Bellingham operates within the Washington Model Traffic Ordinance and the underlying RCW chapter on rules of the road. The statewide distance restrictions in RCW 46.61.570 apply to RVs, boats, and boat trailers exactly as they do to passenger cars: no stopping, standing, or parking within fifteen feet of a fire hydrant; within twenty feet of a crosswalk at an intersection; in any intersection; on a sidewalk; in front of a public or private driveway; or in a space where official signs prohibit stopping. RCW 46.55.085 also authorizes law enforcement to attach a notice tag to an unauthorized vehicle on a public right-of-way and to impound the vehicle if not moved within twenty-four hours. For complaints about an RV or boat trailer left on a Bellingham street, contact City of Bellingham Parking Services at (360) 778-7780.