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

Two County code chapters govern recreational-vehicle and boat parking in unincorporated Santa Barbara County. (1) Chapter 23 (Motor Vehicles and Traffic) controls on-street parking in the unincorporated area. Under the County's 72-hour rule, no vehicle, trailer, or recreational vehicle may be parked in the same location on a public street, highway, or right-of-way for more than 72 consecutive hours; after 72 hours the vehicle must be moved at least one-tenth of a mile to constitute lawful re-parking. California Vehicle Code Section 22651(k) authorizes removal and impound of vehicles parked for more than 72 hours on a public street, and the Sheriff and County contracted tow services enforce that locally. The County also designates 'Permit Parking Program' districts under Chapter 23B in certain unincorporated neighborhoods that experience overflow parking from beach access, college areas (Isla Vista), and special events; oversize-vehicle parking is restricted in those districts. (2) The Santa Barbara County Land Use and Development Code (LUDC) Chapter 35 controls storage of recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers on private property in residential zones. Stored recreational equipment must generally be located behind the front-yard setback and visually screened from the public right-of-way (with allowable exceptions for short-term loading/unloading, typically up to 72 hours). RVs, trailers, and converted motorhomes may NOT be used as a primary or accessory dwelling on a parcel in a residential zone, except inside a permitted RV park or recreational-vehicle campground (defined in the LUDC) or during an active building-permit period for the principal residence under specific County temporary-occupancy provisions. The LUDC also addresses commercial use of personal recreational vehicles (such as Airbnb-style 'glamping') under separate short-term rental and visitor-serving rules. Within the County coastal zone (Gaviota, Refugio, El Capitan, Hope Ranch coastal, Montecito coastal, Summerland coastal, Carpinteria coastal), the Coastal Land Use Plan and Coastal Zoning Ordinance impose additional limits on parking and visitor-serving facilities. Within incorporated city limits (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Goleta, Carpinteria, Buellton, Solvang, Guadalupe) each city's municipal code applies; the City of Santa Barbara, for example, generally prohibits parking RVs in residential driveways under City Municipal Code Section 30.175.030.