San Mateo County, CA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

San Mateo County's parking rules apply only to the unincorporated area, not to incorporated cities. The County's 2020 amendment to Ordinance Code Section 7.28.070 ("No Oversized Vehicle Parking") added trailers to the prohibited categories and provides that oversized vehicles over six feet high may be restricted from parking on a residential street and trailers of any size may be restricted from parking on a public street, on roads where the Board of Supervisors has specifically established the restriction. The ordinance lists exceptions for active loading or unloading, public utility service to nearby property, emergency repairs or waiting for a tow operator (not to exceed eight hours), emergency-vehicle response, and wheelchair-accessible vans. On private residential property, the County Title 8 Zoning and Development Code controls storage: a recreational vehicle, travel trailer, or mobilehome without a permanent foundation may be used as a temporary living facility only during construction or reconstruction of a permanent dwelling on the same parcel and must be removed before the Certificate of Occupancy. Because no countywide ordinance sets a fixed RV/boat storage screening standard for every residential lot, residents should confirm front-yard and setback rules for their specific zoning district with County Planning.