Minnehaha County, SD Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

Minnehaha County's regulatory authority over unincorporated areas comes from SDCL Chapter 11-2 (county zoning) and SDCL 11-2-17 (zoning ordinance adoption). The county's Planning & Zoning Department administers the County Zoning Ordinance, which establishes residential (RR Rural Residential, A-1 Agricultural) and other base districts; in each, accessory uses including the storage of personal recreational vehicles are customarily permitted on the owner's property provided district setbacks (typically 25 ft front, 8-10 ft side, 25 ft rear in RR) are observed. The county does NOT impose a categorical limit on RV/boat size, a maximum number of units, a screening requirement, or a duration limit for residential RV storage on private property in unincorporated areas. RVs parked or stored on a county road, highway, or highway right-of-way for longer than 24 hours without notifying the Sheriff are treated as abandoned vehicles under SDCL 32-30-12 (24-hour default) and SDCL Chapter 32-30A (county sheriff abandoned-vehicle process outside corporate limits). Living in an RV as a permanent dwelling on a residential lot is not authorized by the Zoning Ordinance — RVs are recreational equipment, not dwelling units, and short-term occupancy is limited to authorized campgrounds licensed under SDCL Chapter 34-18. Within Sioux Falls, Brandon, Hartford, Dell Rapids, and other incorporated cities inside Minnehaha County, the municipal code (not the county code) controls. Sioux Falls in particular regulates RV/boat parking under Title 39 of its home-rule Code of Ordinances.