Port Townsend, WA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Height trigger
- Greater than 12 feet
- Distance trigger
- Within five feet of a side or rear property line
- Where it applies
- Single-family residential parcels
- Minor nuisance penalties
- $66.00 first, $114.00 second, $209.00 third within one year
- Civil penalty
- $250.00 for each day of violation (PTMC 1.20.075)
- Appeal deadline
- 14 calendar days to the hearing examiner
- Citation
- PTMC 9.08.030(I)(2)(a)
Summary
Port Townsend declares it a nuisance to store a recreational vehicle or boat taller than 12 feet within five feet of a side or rear property line on a single-family residential parcel. A separate nuisance clause covers RVs and boats kept as wrecked or inoperable vehicles. Enforcement runs through the city's nuisance and code enforcement chapters.
The following acts, omissions, places, conditions, and things are declared to be nuisances: ... I. Motor Vehicles.
1. The existence or maintenance on any premises of a storage area, junk yard or dumping ground for the wrecking or disassembling of automobiles, trucks, trailers, recreational vehicles, boats, tractors or other vehicle or machinery of any kind, or for the storing or leaving of worn out, wrecked, junk, apparently inoperable, or abandoned automobiles, trucks, trailers, recreational vehicles, boats, tractors or other vehicles or machinery of any kind or of any major parts thereof; except as allowed by the other ordinances of the city.
2. Storage of the following on a single-family residential parcel:
a. A recreational vehicle or boat greater than 12 feet in height stored within five feet of a side or rear property line. (Ord. 3317 § 6 (Exh. F), 2023).
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3364, passed May 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
The rule sits in PTMC 9.08.030(I)(2)(a), part of the Types of Nuisances section. It applies to a single-family residential parcel and names two things: a recreational vehicle or a boat. The trigger is a height greater than 12 feet combined with storage within five feet of a side or rear property line. The text does not mention front yards or driveways, so this clause is a boundary-distance and height rule, not a blanket ban on parking an RV at home.
Definitions in PTMC 9.08.010 shape the reach. A recreational vehicle is a vehicular-type unit primarily designed for recreational, camping, or travel use that has its own motive power or is mounted on or drawn by another vehicle, including travel trailers, truck campers, and motor homes. Tiny houses on wheels, as defined in Chapter 17.08 PTMC, are excluded. The definition of vehicle includes boats on or off trailers and utility trailers, and a camper removed from the towing vehicle and stored separately counts as its own vehicle.
Subsection (I)(1) is a separate nuisance. It reaches any premises that holds a storage area, junk yard or dumping ground for wrecking or disassembling trailers, recreational vehicles, boats or other vehicles, or for storing worn out, wrecked, junk, apparently inoperable, or abandoned ones, except as allowed by other city ordinances. "Apparently inoperable" covers a vehicle that does not appear to meet safe and legal operation rules for licensing, registration, brakes, lights, tires or safety glass, and evidence such as vegetation growing in or around it or a passenger compartment filled with trash.
Enforcement follows PTMC 9.08.040. The enforcement officer acts on any condition in violation, and violations are declared nuisances subject to Chapter 1.20 PTMC, including abatement, criminal penalty and civil penalty. For a minor nuisance left in place after 21 days' notice, the person commits a civil infraction under Chapter 7.80 RCW. Under Chapter 1.20 the civil penalty is $250.00 for each day of violation, and each day or portion of a day counts as a separate violation.
A related rule applies to tourist homes: PTMC 17.57.020(B)(12) allows RV storage on off-street paved parking surfaces on the same lot, in the same manner as other dwelling units in the zone, and bars storage in the public right-of-way.
Violations & Fines
A first minor nuisance violation carries a $66.00 penalty, a second within one year $114.00, and a third within one year $209.00, and the court can reduce, suspend or defer them (PTMC 9.08.040(C)(2)). Chapter 1.20 sets a civil penalty of $250.00 for each day of violation, plus city enforcement costs with a 20 percent overhead fee. Orders can be appealed to the hearing examiner within 14 calendar days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my RV in my driveway in Port Townsend?
Does the rule cover boats and trailers or only motorhomes?
What happens if the city finds a violation?
Can I appeal a nuisance order?
Does a tourist home have its own RV storage rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Townsend
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