Ada County, ID Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- RV/motor home/travel trailer limit
- 72 hours on a residential street
- General street vehicle limit
- 2 hours; 7-day max continuous parking
- Fine
- $50 per vehicle, per violation
- Enforcement
- Ada County Sheriff's Office
- Governing ordinance
- Ordinance 796, adopted April 24, 2012
- Applies to
- Streets in unincorporated residential areas only
Summary
Ada County caps how long a recreational vehicle can sit on a residential street in the unincorporated county. Motor homes, travel trailers and camp trailers get 72 hours under Code section 6-5-3(A)(4), whether or not they're hitched to a tow vehicle. Every other vehicle in that section's list gets bumped after two hours, and no vehicle stays past seven days.
A. No person shall park the following, whether attended or unattended, upon the streets in any residential area within unincorporated Ada County for a period in excess of two (2) hours: ... 4. Any recreational vehicle: a. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section, motor homes, travel trailers and camp trailers may be parked on the street for a period not to exceed seventy two (72) hours; b. The seventy two (72) hour period applies irrespective of whether they are attached to a motorized vehicle.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Code current through: Ord. 1018, passed 3-24-2026).
Full Breakdown
Ada County's residential parking ordinance, codified at title 6, chapter 5 of the county code, was adopted by Ordinance 796 in 2012 to control parking of certain vehicles on streets in unincorporated residential neighborhoods. A 'residential area' is defined at section 6-5-2 as two or more adjoining lots of one acre or less improved with single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes or similar structures, together with the adjacent street for 100 yards in each direction from the property line. Within that zone, section 6-5-3(A) bars parking a recreational vehicle, defined to include campers, camping trailers, motor homes, travel trailers (including fifth-wheelers) and watercraft on a trailer, for more than two hours, except that subsection (A)(4)(a) carves out motor homes, travel trailers and camp trailers specifically: those three vehicle types may sit on the street for up to 72 hours, and that window applies whether or not the RV is still attached to the tow vehicle.
Utility trailers and unmounted campers fall under the general two-hour rule rather than the 72-hour carve-out, since the exception names only motor homes, travel trailers and camp trailers. Section 6-5-4 exempts vehicles actively loading or unloading passengers or cargo, vehicles parked for a nearby lawful construction project, and vehicles within 100 yards of a lawful commercial operation they're servicing. None of these limits reach vehicles parked in a driveway or yard off the public street; the ordinance regulates on-street parking only.
Violations & Fines
Violating the 72-hour or two-hour street limit is an infraction carrying a $50 fine per vehicle under section 6-5-5, and each vehicle counts as a separate violation. Once a vehicle sits in violation of subsection 6-5-3(A) for more than 24 hours, every additional 24-hour period is billed as its own separate violation. Ada County Sheriff's deputies enforce the ordinance under section 6-5-6 and may cite the RV or have it towed at the owner's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my travel trailer on the street in front of my house overnight?
Does the 72-hour rule cover my boat trailer or utility trailer?
Is parking my RV in my own driveway limited to 72 hours too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ada County
How Ada County compares: Cities with the Strictest Parking Rules·Compare Ada County to another location·View the Idaho parking rules overview
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