Garland, TX Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 32.57(C)(7)-(9)
- Covered vehicles
- RVs, travel trailers, boats, personal watercraft
- Where banned
- Public property in a residential zone
- Loading exception
- Removed within 24 hours of loading
- Owner liability
- Civil offense even if owner didn't park it
Summary
Garland bars parking a recreational vehicle, defined to include travel trailers, boats, and personal watercraft, on public property inside a residential zone under Code of Ordinances Section 32.57(C)(7)-(9). The owner faces a civil penalty even if someone else parked it, and the only defense is active loading or unloading that clears the vehicle from public property inside 24 hours.
(8) Vehicle for recreational use means a motor vehicle designed as a temporary living quarters for recreational travel or vacation use, a boat or personal watercraft, and a motorcycle or all-terrain vehicle designed or equipped only for off-road use. The term includes a travel trailer, camping trailer, truck camper, motor home, trailers used to carry boats, personal watercraft, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, and utility trailers of not more than 16 feet in length excluding the tongue which do not contain equipment or materials that are associated with an occupation. ... (7) A person commits an offense if the person parks or stands a recreational vehicle on public property within a residential zone. (8) The owner of a recreational vehicle commits a civil offense if the person allows, suffers or permits the parking or standing of the recreational vehicle on public property within a residential zone. (9) It shall be an affirmative defense to prosecution under subsection (7) and (8) that the recreational vehicle is, at the time of the offense, being loaded or unloaded and is removed from public property in less than a 24 hour period.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4862189; v40 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
57 defines 'vehicle for recreational use' broadly: a travel trailer, camping trailer, truck camper, motor home, boat or personal watercraft, a trailer used to carry a boat, watercraft, motorcycle, or all-terrain vehicle, and a utility trailer of 16 feet or less that carries no equipment tied to an occupation. Subsections (7) through (9) make it an offense for a person to park or stand such a vehicle on public property, meaning streets and public rights-of-way, inside a residential zone, defined to include single-family, duplex, multifamily, and planned development districts for those uses.
The owner of the vehicle separately commits a civil offense if he or she allows it to be parked there, even without personally parking it. The only affirmative defense under subsection (9) applies if the vehicle is being loaded or unloaded at the time of the offense and is removed from public property in under 24 hours. Because 'vehicle for recreational use' is expressly excluded from the section's 'oversized vehicle' definition, an RV or boat trailer is not swept into the separate ban on oversized commercial vehicles, box trucks, and dump trailers in subsections (1) through (6); it is regulated on its own terms. 56, which require an improved or limited parking surface rather than bare ground.
Violations & Fines
Parking or standing a recreational vehicle on public property in a residential zone is a criminal offense for the person who parks it and a separate civil offense for the vehicle's owner if the owner allows it to happen. There is no grace period beyond active loading or unloading completed within 24 hours; Section 10.05(A) sets the general fine ceiling for ordinance violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my boat trailer on the street in front of my Garland house?
Is there any grace period for loading my RV at the curb?
Can I keep an RV parked in my driveway instead of the street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Garland
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