Bonner County, ID Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Time trigger
- Parked or stored for a period exceeding 48 hours
- Where it goes
- Same lot as the use served, outside the required front yard
- RV dwelling units
- One per lot under one acre, two per lot over one acre
- County boat launch lots
- Overnight parking of boats, vehicles and trailers prohibited
- Parking space size
- No less than 200 square feet
- Zoning penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to six months or $1,000 fine
Summary
In unincorporated Bonner County, Idaho, an automobile, recreational vehicle, boat or camper parked or stored for more than 48 hours must sit on the same lot as the use it serves and outside the required front yard. County boat launch lots bar overnight parking of boats, vehicles and trailers entirely.
Standards: 1. Vehicles, to include automobiles, recreational vehicles, boats or campers that are to be parked or stored for a period exceeding 48 hours, shall be located on the same lot as the use they are intended to serve. The subject vehicles must be outside of the required front yard.
Full Breakdown
The off-street parking chapter of the zoning title sets the yard rule. Under section 12-432, standard 1, vehicles that are to be parked or stored for a period exceeding 48 hours, including recreational vehicles, boats and campers, go on the same lot as the use they are intended to serve, and never in the required front yard. The minimum street setback is 25 feet in the Forestry, Agricultural/Forestry and Rural zones under section 12-411, and the Suburban zone also carries a 25 foot street setback in section 12-412.
Parking spaces themselves must be no less than two hundred (200) square feet under section 12-431. Using an RV as a dwelling is a separate matter. Note (9) to the Residential Use Table in section 12-332 says Building Location Permit regulations do not apply to non-commercial temporary, intermittent or occasional use of a recreational vehicle, and that an RV used in the same manner as a single family dwelling is limited to a maximum of 2 recreational vehicle dwelling units per parcel under BCRC 12-496.
Section 12-496 itself limits RV dwelling units to one (1) per lot or parcel under one acre and two (2) per lot or parcel greater than one acre, requires a building location permit for each unit, requires the unit to meet all residential building setbacks, and allows a unit inside a garage or under a snow roof. County waterways property has its own rule. Section 3-116 prohibits overnight parking of boats, vehicles or trailers in any parking area associated with the county boat launch facilities, and prohibits parking on boat ramp areas or blocking access to a ramp except while loading or unloading a vessel.
Violations & Fines
A zoning violation is a misdemeanor under section 12-132, punishable by up to six (6) months in the county jail, a fine not exceeding $1,000, or both, with each day a separate offense. At county boat launches, a violation of section 3-116 is an infraction, and vehicles left in the ramp or launch parking areas can be impounded at the owner's expense. Section 3-120 authorizes the Bonner County sheriff's department to impound a vessel or vehicle improperly parked at a waterways facility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my boat or RV in my front yard in unincorporated Bonner County?
Can I live in an RV on my parcel?
Is overnight trailer parking allowed at county boat ramps?
Who enforces these rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bonner County
How Bonner County compares: Cities with the Strictest Parking Rules·Compare Bonner County to another location·View the Idaho parking rules overview
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