Medford, MA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

Section 38-35(b) of the Medford Revised Ordinances draws a narrower line than the general junk-vehicle rule in subsection (a): it specifically bars storing an unregistered or inoperable motor vehicle, boat, trailer, camper or recreational vehicle within the front yard of a residential district, and the ordinance pins down what counts as front yard by defining it as the 15-foot setback from the property line. A currently registered, operable RV or boat parked in that same 15-foot strip is not reached by this subsection, since the trigger is the vehicle's unregistered or inoperable status, not its type or location alone.

The provision was adopted alongside the junk-vehicle rule by Ordinance No. 503 in 1986 and amended by Ordinance No. 578 in 1993. Enforcement follows the same 48-hour notice and $300 per-offense penalty structure set out in subsection (c) for the chapter, so a resident cited for an unregistered boat sitting in the front setback has 48 hours from notice to move or register it before the fine attaches. Complaints are handled by the police department and code enforcement, and the city treats the front-yard restriction as distinct from, though closely related to, the broader ungaraged-storage rule that covers the rest of a residential lot.