Bowling Green, KY Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

Bowling Green does not maintain a free-standing 'no RV on the street' ordinance like some West Coast cities, but it does control RV and boat storage on residential lots through Section 27.4.03.a of the zoning/property maintenance code (BGKY C27 27.4.03). That section makes it unlawful to park, keep, or store any 'junk motor vehicle' on private premises for more than three calendar days unless the vehicle is contained within an enclosed building. The code defines a junk motor vehicle as any inoperable motor vehicle (whether repairable or not), any vehicle not displaying a current valid license plate, or any vehicle that is wrecked, partially or totally dismantled, or that cannot otherwise be safely or legally operated on a public roadway. A registered, currently tagged, operable RV or boat trailer parked on an owner's driveway is generally allowed, but an unregistered camper shell, a flat-tired travel trailer, or a boat trailer with expired tags falls inside the three-day junk-vehicle rule. On the public street, the city's on-street parking framework in Chapter 22 of the Code of Ordinances governs RVs and boat trailers the same way it governs other vehicles: signage installed under Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) standards, no-parking zones, posted time-limit areas in the downtown core, and the state-law no-parking distances incorporated through Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.450 (15 feet of a fire hydrant, in an intersection, etc.). Bowling Green's downtown is largely free public parking (over 1,200 free spaces across four marked areas under the city's 2024 mint-sign rollout), but RVs and trailers should not be left in downtown lots designed for passenger turnover. Code Compliance & Animal Protection within Neighborhood & Community Services (270-393-3444) handles residential complaints; reports can also be filed through the city's online Report a Problem portal.