Duluth, MN Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- General rule
- No trailer/RV outside licensed trailer camp
- Residential exception
- One unoccupied trailer, garage/driveway/rear yard
- Time cap
- 35 consecutive days, 60 days/year
- Living quarters
- Not permitted while stored
- Max general fine
- $1,000 (§ 1-7)
Summary
In the City of Duluth, a camping trailer or recreational vehicle cannot be parked, stored or occupied outside a licensed trailer camp, but Duluth Legislative Code § 33-97.11 allows storing one unoccupied trailer in a private garage, driveway or rear yard for up to 35 straight days and 60 days a year.
No person shall park, store or occupy any trailer or recreational vehicle in, on or upon any place or premises situated outside an approved and duly licensed trailer camp; but nothing contained in this ordinance ... shall prohibit the parking or storing of only one unoccupied trailer in a private garage, driveway or in a rear yard located anywhere within the city of Duluth, provided that no living quarters shall be maintained, for a period in excess of 35 consecutive days and 60 total days in any calendar year, nor any business carried on, or profession practiced in such trailer, during all of the time such trailer is so parked or stored.
Full Breakdown
11 starts from a general prohibition: no trailer or recreational vehicle may be parked, stored or occupied on any place or premises in the city outside an approved and duly licensed trailer camp. The section then carves out a residential exception that covers the common case of a homeowner's camper or boat trailer: one unoccupied trailer may be parked or stored in a private garage, driveway or rear yard anywhere in the city of Duluth, capped at 35 consecutive days and 60 total days in any calendar year.
Two conditions attach to that exception: the trailer cannot be used to maintain living quarters while parked, and no business or profession can be carried on inside it during the time it sits there. The section was originally repealed and then reinstated with amendments in 2004 (Ord. No. 9674) and 2013 (Ord. No. 10245), reflecting the city's ongoing effort to balance residential storage of recreational trailers against neighborhood appearance and land-use standards under the Unified Development Chapter.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 33 does not set a dedicated fine for § 33-97.11, so the citywide general penalty in § 1-7 applies: up to $1,000 per offense, with each day beyond the 35-day or 60-day cap, or any day the trailer is occupied as living quarters or used for business, counted as a separate violation. Enforcement runs through the same citation process used for other parking and storage violations under Chapter 33.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep my camper in my driveway in Duluth?
Can I live in an RV parked at my Duluth home?
Is there a limit on how many days a year I can store a trailer at my Duluth house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Duluth
How Duluth compares: Cities with the Strictest Parking Rules·Compare Duluth to another location·View the Minnesota parking rules overview
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