New Bedford, MA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- What's regulated
- Boat/utility trailers on public ways/city land
- Compliant condition
- Hitched, immediately towable
- Max fine
- $300 per day
- Also owed
- Removal + storage costs, state-capped
- Private driveways
- Not covered by this section
Summary
New Bedford bans leaving a boat trailer, utility trailer, or camper unattended on a public way or city property under § 23-22, unless it stays hitched to a vehicle ready to be towed away immediately. Violators face up to a $300 fine per day plus towing and storage costs.
No automobile trailer, boat trailer, utility trailer, trailer coach, any portable structure or vehicle so constructed and designed as to be attached to a motor vehicle and any portable structure or nonmotorized vehicle so constructed and designed as to permit occupancy thereof, for dwelling, sleeping purposes or commercial uses, shall be parked on public ways or other city property unless such trailer or structure is attached to a motor vehicle in a safe and proper fashion as it is constructed and designed to be so as to be able to be immediately towed without any further connections and/or adjustments by the motor vehicle to which it is so attached. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this section, shall be subject to a fine not exceeding three hundred dollars ($300.00). Each day that such violation continues shall constitute a separate offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19).
Full Breakdown
Section 23-22 targets trailers and portable structures left unattached on city-controlled land, covering automobile trailers, boat trailers, utility trailers, trailer coaches, and any other portable structure or nonmotorized vehicle designed for attachment to a motor vehicle, including ones built for dwelling, sleeping, or commercial use. The rule is not a flat ban on parking such equipment on public ways or other city property; it is a ban on leaving it unattached there. A trailer is compliant only if it stays attached to a motor vehicle in a safe, proper fashion consistent with how it was built, so that it could be towed away immediately without any further hookup or adjustment.
R. c. 159B, § 6B. The section exempts trailers actively used for traffic control or on a validly permitted construction project. Because § 23-22 is written around 'public ways or other city property,' it does not by its terms reach a boat or camper trailer parked on private residential property; New Bedford's parallel rule targeting private driveways and yards is § 23-23, which is aimed specifically at heavy trucks and tow trucks rather than recreational trailers.
Violations & Fines
Leaving a covered trailer or portable structure unattached on a public way or city property, meaning not hitched and ready for immediate towing, is punishable by a fine not exceeding three hundred dollars ($300.00), with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. The owner is also liable for the reasonable cost of city-ordered removal and any storage charges, capped at the prevailing state-set rates under 220 C.M.R. 272 for towing and M.G.L.A. c. 159B, § 6B for storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave my boat trailer parked on the street in New Bedford?
What's the fine for an unattached trailer on a public way?
Does this rule stop me from parking a trailer in my own driveway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Bedford
How New Bedford compares: Cities with the Strictest Parking Rules·Compare New Bedford to another location·View the Massachusetts parking rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
RV & Boat Parking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Bristol County handle rv & boat parking.