In Durham, boats, camper trailers and utility trailers must be stored off the street and located to the rear of the home. Front-yard and on-street RV storage is not allowed.
Durham's joint City-County Unified Development Ordinance requires recreational vehicles, boats and trailers to be kept off public streets and located to the rear of the primary structure (UDO 10.2.3E). Vehicles parked in residential areas also cannot exceed 35 feet long, 8 feet wide or 12 feet high (UDO 10.2.3C). Multifamily developments may designate boat and trailer areas on an approved site plan. Because the City of Durham and unincorporated Durham County share one UDO, the same storage rule applies countywide.
Enforced by Durham Planning as a UDO zoning violation; owners are notified to relocate the RV or boat, with civil penalties for continued noncompliance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is legal in Durham and the city offers a curbside food-waste program. Compost piles must be maintained so they do not harbor rodents or p...
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Durham has no ordinance banning artificial turf in residential yards. It counts toward impervious-surface and lot-coverage limits under the UDO, and cannot b...
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Durham lies in the Neuse River and Falls Lake watersheds, where state and UDO riparian buffer rules require a 50-foot protected buffer of native vegetation a...
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Rain barrels and cisterns are legal and encouraged in Durham; no county ordinance bans collecting rooftop rainwater. Durham has historically offered subsidiz...
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Durham enforces a year-round odd/even irrigation ordinance and can impose tighter water-shortage stages. As of June 2026 Durham is in Stage 2, which bans spr...
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Durham declares dense weeds, vines, briars and undergrowth a public nuisance when they harbor pests or sit near buildings. Overgrowth over 12 inches high mus...
See how Durham County's rv & boat parking rules stack up against other locations.
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