St. Johns County, FL Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

Section 6.01.03.H.5 of the Land Development Code, within Part 6.01.00's yard-measurement rules, treats a boat trailer, utility trailer or RV as 'Major recreational equipment' and keeps it out of the Front Yard on any residentially zoned Lot: it may be parked or stored only in a required Rear Yard or Side Yard. The Front Yard is available only while the owner is actively loading or unloading the equipment, and that use cannot run past twenty-four (24) hours. The same subsection separately bars using any recreational equipment, wherever it is parked or stored, for living, sleeping or housekeeping purposes on a residential Lot or any other unapproved location, which forecloses using a driveway-parked RV as a residence or guest quarters.

A related but distinct rule covers vehicles carrying no current license plate: Section 2.04.03 requires any Recreational Vehicle, trailer or Manufactured/Mobile Home without a current tag, other than an RV that Florida law doesn't require to be licensed, to be kept inside a completely enclosed Building rather than in a yard, across residential, agricultural, neighborhood business and general business zoning categories defined in Section 2.02.02, and bars major repair work on it outside an enclosed Building. Section 2.04.02 separately keeps heavy vehicles over 8,000 pounds net vehicle weight, the category covering dump trucks and semitrailers under Section 320.01, Florida Statutes, out of residential districts outside of normal loading, unloading or service time.

Waterfront parcels get no special exception: an RV or boat trailer stored on a lot with a Waterfront Yard still has to sit in whatever the Rear or Side Yard equivalent is under Section 6.01.03.G, since Waterfront Yards are measured as Rear Yard requirements for the district.