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

Sections 23.78.140 through 23.78.155 of the Placentia Municipal Code regulate where motor vehicles, trailers, camper units, boats and other recreational apparatus can be parked or stored in single-family residential areas. "Recreational vehicle" covers motorhomes, travel trailers, truck campers, camping trailers, trailers and van campers. "Recreational apparatus" covers unregistered equipment such as a jet ski, all-terrain vehicle, motor bike, boat, airplane or off-highway vehicle.

Section 23.78.150 governs the front yard. A vehicle cannot be parked there where a legally permitted garage or three-sided carport onsite can fully accommodate it; the section lists two more conditions tied to a driveway to the side or rear yard and to blocking required onsite parking. One vehicle or apparatus is the maximum in the front yard, set back at least 6 feet from the front property line, parked at a perpendicular angle, on a paved or all-weather surface approved by the director. Parking and driveway areas cannot exceed 60 percent of the front yard, or 80 percent for cul-de-sac lots with less than 40 feet of frontage. Anything parked there more than 72 hours needs tire covers, rubberized wheel chocks and a trailer jack, and non-fitted tarps are prohibited. A street side yard vehicle must sit behind a 6 foot solid masonry wall or non-open work fence and gate.

Section 23.78.155 requires an all-weather surface and the same 6 foot screening in side and rear yards. Section 23.78.145 applies throughout: no sidewalk or right-of-way overhang, no inoperable or dismantled vehicles, no living in the vehicle, no cooking, no permanent utility connection (temporary electric for charging batteries and cleaning is limited to 24 hours), parking limited to vehicles owned by the property owner or resident, and no storage of goods beyond items essential to the vehicle. Section 23.78.160 replaces Sections 23.78.150 and 23.78.155 in the HMR overlay zone. Section 23.78.140(c) leaves on-street rules to Chapter 13.48.