Clackamas County, OR Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Unattached trailer on county highway
- prohibited, § 7.01.020(C)
- Disabled trailer grace period
- 7 days to remove
- Living/camping in a parked RV
- banned, § 7.01.020(L)
- Response deadline for a citation
- 14 days before fine doubles
- Tow trigger
- 3+ unpaid citations, § 7.01.080(A)
Summary
On county roads, a trailer, boat trailer or RV trailer must stay hitched to a vehicle able to tow it; leaving one parked unattached is a citable offense. Living or camping in any vehicle or trailer parked on a county road in a residential, commercial or industrial area is separately banned outright.
C. No trailer shall be parked upon any County highway unless it is attached to a motor vehicle by which it may be propelled or drawn. This paragraph shall not apply to trailers which are disabled to such an extent that the driver cannot avoid temporarily leaving the disabled trailer on the highway, provided that the trailer must be removed within seven days. This paragraph also shall not apply to trailers owned or operated under authority of the State or County when necessary to perform work on the roadway. ... L. No person shall use any vehicle or trailer to camp in or live in while parked upon a County roadway or highway in a residential area, commercial area, or industrial area.
Full Breakdown
010(B) defines "vehicle" for this chapter to expressly include campers, recreational vehicles, motor homes, pickup truck canopies and trailers, so RVs and trailers fall squarely under the county's parking and towing rules. 020(C) provides that "no trailer shall be parked upon any County highway unless it is attached to a motor vehicle by which it may be propelled or drawn," with narrow exceptions for a disabled trailer, which must be removed within seven days, and for trailers the state or county operates for roadwork. 020(L), added in 2005, goes further and bars anyone from using "any vehicle or trailer to camp in or live in while parked upon a County roadway or highway in a residential area, commercial area, or industrial area," with those zone types defined by reference to the Zoning and Development Ordinance's residential, commercial and industrial district sections.
040 and must give the operator a copy on the spot or affix one to the vehicle and mail a copy to the registered owner within 72 hours. 090, added in 2024, lets the Sheriff seek a judicial warrant from Circuit Court authorizing entry and towing after documenting the health and safety impact and prior efforts to offer social services.
Violations & Fines
Fines for a Section 7.01.020 violation are set by Board resolution under Section 7.01.050 and double automatically if not paid or contested within 14 days of the citation. A recipient can admit the violation and pay, or deny it and post bail equivalent to the fine to get a hearing before the Hearings Officer within 30 days under Sections 7.01.060 and 7.01.070; the Hearings Officer's decision is final. Three or more unpaid or uncontested citations under Section 7.01.020 authorize the Sheriff to tow the vehicle without further notice under Section 7.01.080(A).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave my boat trailer parked on the road unhitched in Clackamas County?
Is it legal to live in an RV parked on a county road?
How many parking tickets before the county tows my RV or trailer?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clackamas County
How Clackamas County compares: Cities with the Strictest Parking Rules·Compare Clackamas County to another location·View the Oregon parking rules overview
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