Sumner County, TN Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

Zoning Resolution Sec. 1101(Q) governs 'Outdoor Parking and Storage of Major Recreation Equipment' in unincorporated Sumner County. Per dwelling unit, a household may keep outdoors no more than one watercraft with its trailer, two all-terrain vehicles with their trailer, one utility trailer, and one camping trailer or recreational vehicle (Sec. 1101(Q)(1)). If parked in the front yard, that equipment must sit on a hard, dustless surface such as a driveway or parking area; any other vehicle or trailer on the property has to be stored where it cannot be seen from any property line, which in practice pushes overflow equipment to a side or rear yard behind screening.

Inoperable, dismantled, or unregistered recreational vehicles, watercraft, all-terrain vehicles, or trailers are not allowed in residential zoning districts at all, regardless of where on the lot they sit (Sec. 1101(Q)(2)). None of this equipment may be used for living, sleeping, or housekeeping while parked on a residential lot, unless the setup follows the county's separate Temporary Portable Structure Regulations at Sec. 1101(R) (Sec. 1101(Q)(3)).

These caps apply only to the unincorporated county; Gallatin, Hendersonville, Portland, and White House enforce their own parking rules inside city limits, so a boat or camper parked within one of those cities is governed by municipal code, not this Resolution.