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

Madera County's zoning parking chapter (Title 18, Chapter 18.102) sets parking-space ratios but does not impose a setback, screening, or front-yard prohibition on storing a personal recreational vehicle or boat at a home in the unincorporated area. Significantly, Section 18.102.090, which restricts heavy commercial vehicles in residential subdivisions, states its 10,000-pound rule 'shall not include recreational vehicles or campers, as defined by the motor vehicle code.' So a private RV or boat trailer is not caught by that commercial-vehicle limit. The real constraint is condition, not type. Chapter 10.34 (Abatement of Abandoned, Dismantled, Inoperative and Wrecked Vehicles) makes it unlawful to leave any 'wrecked, dismantled, inoperative' or unlicensed vehicle, which can include an RV or boat that cannot be legally operated, on private or public property for more than 72 consecutive hours unless it is inside a completely enclosed structure or screened by a solid wall or fence at least eight feet high (Section 10.34.030). On a public road or highway, the California Vehicle Code, not the county, controls: Section 22651(k) authorizes removal of a vehicle left on a highway 72 or more hours. Always confirm any private CC&Rs, which often impose stricter RV rules than the county.