Elyria, OH Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

The City of Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio, regulates RV, camper and boat parking in Section 1137.13 of the Planning and Zoning Code, Parking of Recreational Vehicles in Residential Districts. Section 1125.75 defines recreational vehicle broadly: a portable structure that is self-propelled or towable, designed for temporary living quarters or for recreational, camping or travel use, and it names the travel trailer, pick-up camper, motorized home and folding tent-trailer. It also names a boat or boat trailer, meaning a boat, float or raft and any equipment to transport it on the highway, and watercraft, including a canoe. A boat on a trailer in the driveway therefore counts under the same section as a motorhome.

Subsection A lets camping and recreational vehicles connect to electric only. At no time shall the vehicles be used for living or housekeeping purposes while located on the residential premises, and the equipment shall have current licenses. Subsection B sets setbacks for a vehicle parked outside a garage: no less than ten (10) feet from the front property line and no less than three (3) feet from any other property line. Subsection C limits the number parked outside any enclosed structure to two (2), with not more than one (1) located in the front yard. Subsection D requires parking on a fully improved or legally nonconforming driveway in a front, rear or side yard, or on paver-bricks or similar material in a side or rear yard, so grass and gravel are not available in the front yard.

A vehicle stored inside a garage is outside the setback and count limits because subsections B and C speak of vehicles parked outside the garage or an enclosed structure.