Petaluma, CA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

Sonoma County does not adopt a single 'RV parking ordinance' for residential lots; instead, RV and boat storage is regulated through several overlapping provisions. Chapter 26 (Zoning) treats storage of personal recreational vehicles, travel trailers, fifth-wheels, motor homes, and boats as a customary accessory use to a single-family dwelling, allowed in any residential, agricultural, or rural zoning district (R1, R2, R3, AR, RR, LIA, LEA, DA, RRD) as long as the vehicles are owned by the resident, are not used for permanent habitation, and do not generate commercial activity. Sec. 26-88-066 (Temporary Use of Recreational Vehicles) is the principal exception that allows temporary occupancy of an RV on residential property when the occupant is an ill, convalescent, or otherwise disabled friend or relative of the property's permanent resident needing care from the occupant - this provision was retained when the County rewrote Article 88 in the 2020-2024 zoning update. The KR/RV (Keeping of Recreational Vehicles) Combining District in Article 42 of Chapter 26 allows commercial RV parks and longer-term RV occupancy on parcels specifically zoned for that use; such parcels are mapped and require a use permit through Permit Sonoma. Sec. 26-86-010 (Required Parking) sets off-street parking minimums for new residences and accessory structures but does not require dedicated RV pads; if a homeowner wants to install a paved RV pad in the side or rear yard, no zoning permit is typically required so long as the pad does not exceed lot-coverage limits, the RV is not connected to permanent utilities for occupancy, and any drainage changes are below the building-permit threshold in Chapter 7 (Building Regulations). Front-yard storage of RVs and boats is constrained by Article 88's accessory-structure setback rules, which prohibit placement of structures (interpreted to include long-term-parked RVs and boats on trailers when they form a functional outbuilding) within the required front-yard setback - typically 20 to 30 feet from the front property line depending on zone. The 72-hour on-street parking limit comes from California Vehicle Code Sec. 22651(k) and is enforced by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol on county roads; vehicles repeatedly moved a few feet to evade the limit are still subject to citation under CVC Sec. 22651(l). Post-fire, Permit Sonoma's Rebuild program (operated out of the Resiliency Permit Center at 2550 Ventura Avenue, Santa Rosa) issues temporary-use permits authorizing residents to occupy an RV or travel trailer on their parcel for up to 24 months while rebuilding the destroyed primary dwelling, with extensions available; permitted Rebuild RVs must demonstrate adequate water and sewer/septic connections and meet defensible space and Chapter 7A fire-safety requirements applicable to the parcel. Coastal Zone parcels (CC suffix) are subject to Chapter 26C (Local Coastal Program) which adds Coastal Commission considerations for any RV park or extended-stay RV occupancy near the Pacific shoreline or Russian River mouth.