Sunnyvale, CA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Orientation rule effective date
- January 1, 2005
- Required orientation
- Perpendicular to the street
- Exception
- Legal driveway configuration dictates otherwise
- Sightline rule
- Must meet vision triangle, § 19.34.060
- Governing code
- SMC § 19.46.040(a)(2)
Summary
Since January 1, 2005, Sunnyvale has required RVs, trailers and boats parked in a front yard to sit perpendicular to the street, unless the driveway's legal configuration makes that impossible. They must also clear the vision triangle at driveway and intersection corners.
(2) RVs, Trailers and Boats. Effective January 1, 2005, all recreational vehicles (RVs), trailers and boats parked in a front yard shall be parked perpendicular to the street, unless the legal driveway configuration dictates otherwise. RVs, trailers and boats are subject to the vision triangle requirements in Section 19.34.060 (Vision triangles).
Full Breakdown
040(a)(2), RVs, Trailers and Boats, sets the orientation rule: effective January 1, 2005, all recreational vehicles, trailers and boats parked in a front yard must be parked perpendicular to the street unless the legal driveway configuration dictates otherwise. 060, which govern sightline clearance near intersections and driveways so that parked RVs, trailers or boats do not block drivers' views. 040(a)(1) requires that anything parked there, including trailers and boats, be currently registered and operable. 030(a)(4). 200 apply to noncompliant RV or boat parking the same as any other Title 19 violation.
Violations & Fines
Violating the perpendicular-parking or vision-triangle rule is an infraction under Section 1.04.010(b)(9) (Title 19 is infraction-covered except Chapters 19.67 and 19.69). Fines follow Government Code Section 36900 absent a listed amount, per Section 1.04.020(b)(3), and three or more convictions within a year can elevate the offense to a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and/or six months in jail under Section 1.04.020(c). The city can also abate a blocking or nonconforming RV/boat as a public nuisance under Section 19.98.200 and bill the owner for abatement costs under Section 1.04.020(d).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my RV parallel to the street in my front yard in Sunnyvale?
Does front-yard RV parking have to clear sightlines at my driveway?
Is there a size limit on how much front yard an RV can occupy?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sunnyvale
How Sunnyvale compares: Cities with the Strictest Parking Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Sunnyvale to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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