Chelan County, WA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Combined outdoor storage cap
- 5 cars/boats/trucks/RVs per dwelling unit
- Inoperable vehicle cap
- No more than 3 of the 5
- Agricultural exemption
- Operable ag equipment doesn't count
- Front yard storage
- Prohibited
- Temporary RV occupancy
- Max 2 units, 10 days per 60-day period, no rent
- Inoperable vehicle removal deadline
- 14 days after notice
Summary
Outside a municipal urban growth area, unincorporated Chelan County caps outdoor vehicle storage at a combined five cars, boats, trucks or RVs per dwelling unit, with no more than three of those inoperable, under Chelan County Code Section 11.88.170(10)(E). Operable farm equipment is exempt, and a recreational vehicle can only be lived in temporarily for up to ten days in any sixty-day stretch.
§ 11.88.170. Accessory uses and structures. ... (10) Vehicle and Other Storage. (A) Outside storage shall be maintained in an orderly manner and shall create no fire, safety, health or sanitary hazard; (B) Required front yard areas shall not be used for storage; ... (E) Vehicles. Unless addressed within a municipal urban growth area, no more than a combined total of five cars, boats, trucks or recreational vehicles per dwelling unit may be stored outside of an enclosed building on any lot, with no more than three of the five being inoperable vehicles regulated under Section 11.88.100. An exemption to this provision is the storage of operable agricultural equipment used for agricultural purpose.
Full Breakdown
170(10) of the Chelan County Code governs vehicle and other outdoor storage on residential property. 100. Operable agricultural equipment used for an agricultural purpose is exempt from the count entirely. Required front yard areas cannot be used for any outside storage under subsection (B), and whatever is stored outside, under subsection (A), has to be kept orderly enough that it creates no fire, safety, health or sanitary hazard. 100 separately limits hulk, abandoned or derelict vehicles and trailers to three per lot, and the owner has fourteen days after official notice to remove them before the county can remove them at the owner's expense; screening a vehicle inside an enclosed structure or behind a visual screen from public view lets an owner keep it regardless of that cap.
Temporary storage containers brought in during construction of a permanent residence are capped at 288 square feet and must be removed before final inspection or certificate of occupancy under subsection (F). 170(6) allows temporary occupancy of up to two recreational vehicles per lot for no more than ten days in any sixty-day period, parked on an off-street space outside any required front or side yard, as long as no rent is charged.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the five-vehicle storage cap, storing vehicles in a required front yard, or leaving more than three inoperable vehicles on a lot is a zoning violation Community Development enforces with a notice and order under Chapter 16.06. An inoperable vehicle not removed within fourteen days of notice can be removed by the county at the owner's expense under Section 11.88.100, and an unresolved violation brings a $750 civil fine for a first offense and $1,500 for a repeat offense under Chapter 16.16.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many vehicles can I store outside on my property in unincorporated Chelan County?
Can I park my RV in the front yard?
Can I live in my RV temporarily on my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chelan County
How Chelan County compares: Cities with the Strictest Parking Rules·Compare Chelan County to another location·View the Washington parking rules overview
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