San Marcos, CA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

160(a) bars parking or standing a mobile living unit or recreation vehicle on any street in a residential district, though an unoccupied pickup/camper combination is exempt if it does not block the free flow of traffic. Off street, subsection (b) forbids using any part of a front yard or street-side yard on a single-family or duplex lot for RV or trailer parking, except on a surfaced driveway leading to a garage or carport, and even there the vehicle cannot overhang the sidewalk, encroach on the right-of-way, or sit closer than three feet to a lot line, the main residence, an accessory structure, or another vehicle.

Subsection (c) allows parking in other yard areas under conditions: the same three-foot setback, unobstructed all-weather access approved by the Fire Marshal, use that stays incidental to the lot's residential use, ownership by the property's fee owner or lawful occupant, and screening from adjoining lots and streets by a minimum six-foot solid wood or masonry fence. Subsection (d) permits group parking of unoccupied units in screened, secured compounds on multifamily-zoned lots. The Fire Marshal can modify or waive the three-foot setback under subsection (e) if fire-spread precautions are in place, and subsection (f) allows unlimited storage inside a fully enclosed garage or outbuilding in any residential district. Adopted by Ordinance No. 88-805 in 1989 and retained in the 2024 recodification.