Upper Darby, PA Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)

The rule sits in Chapter 550, the Upper Darby Zoning Ordinance, at § 550-51. It says temporary dwellings, including trailers, boats or similar structures, shall not be stored within the front yard area, except where there is an existing driveway. The exception is tied to the driveway as it already exists. The section does not create a right to pour new pavement in the front yard to hold a boat or camper.

A second restriction runs alongside the first and applies to the whole lot, not just the front. No temporary dwelling may be set up for housekeeping purposes anywhere in any residence district of the Township. So a camper-trailer or motor home parked in a back or side yard still cannot be used as living space, and the front-yard driveway exception does not change that.

The zoning chapter defines the term at § 550-56 as no-permanent living quarters, whether motorized or otherwise, which are primarily intended for recreational, camping or travel use. The examples printed there are recreational motor homes, camper-trailers and tents. Boats are named in § 550-51 itself, so a boat or a boat on its trailer falls under the front-yard limit without needing the definition.

This section governs private residential lots. Overnight parking on public streets is a separate rule in Chapter 497, where § 497-1 makes it unlawful to park a boat, boat trailer, utility trailer or recreational vehicle on any Township street between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. An owner who keeps a boat or camper on the street to avoid the front-yard limit runs into that curfew instead.

The Zoning Officer administers and enforces Chapter 550 under § 550-53A. The Township may also go to court to restrain, correct or abate a use of land that violates the chapter, in addition to other remedies provided by law, under § 550-53F.