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

The rule sits in Article III (Parking Regulations Generally) of Chapter 18, and it reads in subsection (a): no person may stop, park or leave standing on any county highway or county right-of-way a covered vehicle for longer than six (6) consecutive hours, at which point the vehicle must relocate for at least seventy-two (72) hours. The ordinance that put this wording in place is Ord. No. 6535, Section III, dated 11-4-2025, so it is the current text and not an older draft.

What counts as oversized is set in subsection (b). Any motor vehicle, boat or trailer that meets or exceeds one of three thresholds, measured exclusive of fixtures and accessories, is covered: 24 feet in length, 90 inches in height, or 96 inches in width. A single threshold is enough.

Subsection (c) then sweeps in vehicle types regardless of their size. Buses as defined in Vehicle Code Section 233 are covered. So are trailers, whether hitched to a vehicle or not, including boat trailers and semi-trailers as defined in Vehicle Code Section 630, and stand-alone boats not connected to trailers. Trailer coaches under Vehicle Code Section 635 are covered as well. Recreational vehicles are defined as motor homes, slide-in campers, travel trailers or camping trailers, with or without motive power, designed for human habitation, for recreational, or emergency occupancy, and the definition also names camping trailers, motor homes, slide-in campers and fifth-wheel travel trailers. A small RV under 24 feet is therefore still regulated because of its type.

Subsection (c)(5) lists exemptions. They include vehicles actively making pick-ups or deliveries right next to the property being served; moving vans, RVs or other oversized vehicles being loaded or unloaded at an adjacent business or residence for no more than 48 consecutive hours; licensed food trucks open for business, as long as they are not parked next to residentially zoned property; ambulance, fire, police and other public safety vehicles; vehicles under emergency repair for less than 24 hours, where emergency repairs means sudden and unexpected repairs; government vehicles on official business; DMV-registered disability-serving vehicles parked next to their registered address or the place they provide transportation; agricultural vehicles, implements and trailers actively used in commercial farming or ranching; and vehicles temporarily parked while servicing or supporting agricultural operations, such as deliveries, crop transport, irrigation and maintenance.

The rule applies to county highways and county right-of-way in the unincorporated area, not to private driveways or lots and not to city streets inside Santa Rosa, Petaluma or the other incorporated cities, which run their own parking codes. The general 72-hour limit for any vehicle left on a street or highway in Sec. 18-3.7 still operates alongside this stricter six-hour limit for oversized vehicles.