Hampton, VA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

Hampton Zoning Ordinance § 1-31, as amended through November 2025, governs motorhomes and towed recreational equipment on lots where a one-family, two-family or duplex home is the primary use. Anything stored wholly inside a garage, shed or other fully enclosed structure does not count toward the cap. Equipment loaded on a trailer is counted together with the trailer as one piece of towed recreational equipment, so a boat on a trailer is one unit, not two.

On a lot under five acres the limit is two units in total: either two pieces of towed recreational equipment, or one towed unit and one motorhome. Never more than one motorhome sits on any lot. On a lot of five acres or more the total rises to four, and no more than two of them can be motorhomes.

Tighter rules apply to lots under five acres, or lots with less than 100 feet of depth in the street frontage yard. Every motorhome or towed unit must be parked on an improved driveway that runs under the entire vehicle. A ribbon driveway qualifies only if it extends continuously from the public right-of-way to the parking spot. A motorized boat, jetski or similar craft that is not on a trailer cannot be parked or stored in any front or side street frontage yard. Only one motorhome or one boat on a trailer with two or more axles is allowed in the front and side street frontage yards combined. Parking is also unlawful if the equipment screens the house from pedestrians on an abutting right-of-way, hides the address numerals, blocks an emergency escape and rescue opening or the path from the street to a primary entrance, or creates any other health, safety or fire hazard.

Three rules reach every lot in every zoning district: no motorhome or towed unit can be used as a dwelling, none can be parked on a vacant lot, and none can sit within three feet of a side or rear property line or across a public easement.

Subsection (4) allows parking in street frontage yards during a city-permitted special event, during street sweeping or city maintenance or construction while the street is closed to parking, during flooding or other emergencies, and while the unit is actively being loaded or unloaded for no more than twenty-four hours. The ordinance took effect on 9-9-2020 (Ord. No. Z20-21). Passenger cars and commercial vehicles are handled separately in Zoning Ordinance §§ 1-32 and 1-34. Hampton is an independent Virginia city, so no county rule applies on top of this one.