Vanderburgh County, IN Parking Rules: RV & Boat Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Unlicensed RVs
- Must be in enclosed building
- Licensed RVs/boats
- No specific parking standard
- Living in RV
- Banned except in mobile home court
- Governing section
- § 17.24.020(D)
- Related section
- § 17.12.130 (occupancy)
Summary
Vanderburgh County requires an unlicensed camper or motor home, along with any other automotive vehicle lacking current plates, to sit inside a completely enclosed building if it's kept on residential property under Section 17.24.020(D); the code doesn't separately regulate licensed RVs, trailers, or boats parked in a driveway.
D. Automotive vehicles, including campers and motor homes of any kind or type, without current license plates, shall not be parked or stored on any residential property other than in completely enclosed buildings.
Full Breakdown
020, the location standard inside the county's Off-Street Parking and Loading chapter, singles out unlicensed vehicles: automotive vehicles, including campers and motor homes of any kind or type, that lack current license plates cannot be parked or stored on residential property in Vanderburgh County unless they sit inside a completely enclosed building, such as a garage. A properly licensed and plated recreational vehicle, travel trailer, or boat trailer isn't reached by this section, so the code does not set a separate yard or driveway location standard, setback, or screening requirement for a currently-registered RV or boat parked outside.
130: recreational vehicles, trailers, mobile homes, and manufactured homes under 720 square feet may not be used as living or sleeping quarters anywhere in the county except inside an approved mobile home court, regardless of license status. That section governs occupancy, not where the vehicle sits, so a licensed camper can be parked in a driveway indefinitely as long as nobody sleeps in it outside a licensed mobile home court. Both rules sit in Title 17, which the county administers, jointly with Evansville's Area Plan Commission staff, only across unincorporated Vanderburgh County; RV and boat parking inside Evansville or Darmstadt is controlled by each municipality's own code.
Violations & Fines
Both the unlicensed-vehicle storage rule and the living-quarters restriction are Title 17 zoning violations under Section 17.36.150. The Area Plan Commission issues a Notice of Ordinance Violation, with a civil penalty of up to $500 for a first offense, rising to $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, and $7,500 for further violations within 12 months, due to the County Treasurer within 30 days; an uncorrected violation counts as a new offense each additional day, and the Commission can hold new Improvement Location Permits until the property is compliant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my boat trailer in my Vanderburgh County driveway?
Can I sleep in my RV while it's parked at my Vanderburgh County house?
What happens to an unregistered motor home parked in my yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vanderburgh County
How Vanderburgh County compares: Cities with the Strictest Parking Rules·Compare Vanderburgh County to another location·View the Indiana parking rules overview
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