Seattle, WA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- General rule
- No detached trailer/camper parking, ever
- Collision exception
- Up to 24 hours with lit red signal
- Vending exception
- Only under a Street Use permit, Ch. 15.17
- Fine
- $69 base parking infraction
Summary
Seattle forbids parking a detached trailer or camper, including boat and RV trailers, on any street or alley. SMC 11.72.430 allows only a narrow 24-hour exception after a collision, with a lighted red signal required.
11.72.430 - Trailer or camper — Detached A. No person shall detach and park any trailer or camper on any street or alley: provided that in case of collision the trailer or camper may be moved to a portion of the street or alley where parking a motor vehicle is lawful, and if a red signal is displayed at both ends of the camper or trailer during the hours of darkness, the trailer or camper may be allowed to remain for a period not exceeding 24 hours pending removal; further provided that the trailer or camper shall not remain upon any portion of a street or alley where standing or parking is limited or prohibited for a period longer than is necessary to effect its removal.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 44 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
430, 'Trailer or camper, Detached,' targets exactly the scenario of leaving a boat trailer, camper, or utility trailer sitting unhitched on a public street or alley. Subsection A states flatly that no person shall detach and park any trailer or camper on any street or alley. The only carve-out applies after a collision: the disabled trailer or camper may be moved to a spot where parking a motor vehicle is otherwise lawful, and if a red signal is displayed at both ends of the unit during hours of darkness, it may remain for up to 24 hours pending removal.
Even within that narrow exception, the trailer or camper cannot remain longer than necessary for removal in any area where standing or parking is otherwise limited or prohibited. 17, that exception has nothing to do with recreational or boat trailers and does not extend the personal-use allowance. Because the ban covers any detachment, an RV or boat owner cannot legally unhitch a trailer and leave it curbside overnight even briefly outside the 24-hour collision exception; the trailer must either stay hitched to a vehicle that is itself lawfully parked, or be stored off-street. This section was last substantively amended by Ordinance 123659 in 2011, which added the vending-trailer carve-out in Subsection B.
Violations & Fines
Detaching and parking a trailer or camper on any Seattle street or alley outside the narrow post-collision exception is a parking infraction under SMC 11.72.430, cited at $69 per the SMC 11.72 fine schedule; the City may also have the unlawfully parked trailer or camper towed and impounded under the general impound authority in Chapter 11.30 SMC.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave my boat trailer detached on the street overnight in Seattle?
Is there any exception for a broken-down camper trailer in Seattle?
Can a food vending trailer be detached and parked in Seattle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Seattle
How Seattle compares: Cities with the Strictest Parking Rules·Compare Seattle to another location·View the Washington parking rules overview
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RV & Boat Parking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle rv & boat parking.