Gary, IN Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

Section 40-291, in Article V's parking division, makes it unlawful for any person to park, place or locate, or to permit the parking, placing or locating of, any automobile and trailer within the city limits for a period exceeding 48 hours, except in a trailer camp as provided in the code. The section does not carve out separate categories for boats, campers or utility trailers, so any trailer combination, whether it carries a boat, a camper shell or cargo, falls under the same 48-hour ceiling once it is parked, placed or located anywhere in Gary, including private driveways and yards, unless the property is a licensed trailer camp.

The section traces to 1961 Ordinance No. 2512 and a later amendment under Ordinance No. 2812, carried forward into the current Municode text without a stated dollar penalty of its own. Violations of this division fall under Section 40-287's general Article V penalty scheme: a first offense is fined according to Chapter 20's fee schedule, and anyone who receives a further notice for a repeat violation is booked onto the regular city court docket for a fine under Section 1-7 instead of being able to close out the citation through a written confession of judgment.

Because the 48-hour clock runs against parking, placing or locating the trailer rather than against continuous operation, moving the trailer a short distance without removing it from the property is unlikely to reset the limit under the section's plain language.