Journal ·
Burbank RV, Boat and Trailer Parking Rules: Street and Driveway
Burbank does not allow an RV, boat or trailer to be kept at the curb. A vehicle that measures 22 feet or more in length, or 8 feet or more in height or width, needs a paid 24-hour permit for each day it is parked on a public street, may stay no longer than 72 hours in a row, and is limited to 96 permits per calendar year under Municipal Code section 6-1-1010.1. On private property, the zoning code allows a motorhome of up to 22 feet on a front driveway and keeps boats and trailers out of the front yard.
What counts as a large non-commercial vehicle in Burbank?
Section 6-1-102 defines a Large Non-Commercial Vehicle, or LNCV, as any house car, pickup truck with camper, recreational vehicle, trailer or other vehicle that "measures or exceeds" 22 feet in length, 8 feet in height or 8 feet in width. Any one of the three dimensions is enough.
The code also says how to measure. Height runs from the ground to the topmost appurtenance, leaving out air conditioners and antennas. Width is the widest cross section without the side mirrors. Length runs from the front bumper, hitch or body panel to the rearmost extension, so a hitch counts.
How long can an RV park on a Burbank street?
Every vehicle in Burbank is subject to the 72-hour rule in section 6-1-1010. Large vehicles carry a second layer in section 6-1-1010.1, added by Ordinance 3778 in June 2010 and last amended effective May 10, 2024:
- No LNCV may park on any public right-of-way without a valid LNCV permit on display.
- Each permit is valid for 24 hours and is specific to one vehicle.
- No more than three permits may be used back to back. The code calls this a Consecutive Permit Block and caps it at 72 hours.
- At least 48 hours must separate one block from the next.
- No more than 96 permits may be issued to one vehicle in a calendar year.
- No LNCV may park within 80 feet of an intersection of two public streets. The city's page adds that this holds whether or not a permit has been issued.
The arithmetic matters more than any single limit. Three days on and two days off is a five-day cycle, and 96 permits make 32 full blocks. An owner who used every block from January 1 with the shortest legal gap would run out of permits in early June. For the rest of the year the vehicle needs an off-street place.
How much does a Burbank RV parking permit cost, and where do you buy it?
Two city documents give two prices. The FY 2026-27 adopted fee schedule lists "Large Non-Commercial Vehicle Parking Permit, 24-hour Permit" at $6.50 per day, with a maximum of 96 days per year, in a parking fee section last updated June 2, 2026. The city's LNCV web page says the permit is $7.00 per day. Section 6-1-1010.1(C) makes the fee whatever the Burbank Fee Resolution sets at the time of purchase, so confirm the amount when you pay. A full year of 96 permits costs $624 at the first price and $672 at the second.
Permits are sold through the city's online parking permit portal and in person at 150 North Third Street. Neither the code text nor the city page limits permits to Burbank residents.
Can you park a boat or utility trailer on the street in Burbank?
A detached trailer cannot be stored at the curb. Section 6-1-1013 bars parking a non-motorized vehicle on any street, and section 6-1-102 gives trailers and detached campers as examples. The exceptions are narrow:
- The trailer is attached to a motorized vehicle, and the combination is parked at least 100 feet from an intersection.
- It is parked for no more than 24 hours to load, unload or perform maintenance that does not violate section 7-3-107.
- It is parked by a utility for construction or repair of utility facilities, or under a film permit from the Police Department.
A boat is a separate category. Section 6-1-102 lists boats as an example of a non-vehicular conveyance, and section 6-1-1014 lets one stand on a street only when it is attached to and transported by a motorized vehicle. That section has no 24-hour loading exception.
If the trailer, measured from its hitch, or the tow vehicle reaches 22 feet in length or 8 feet in height or width, the LNCV permit rules apply as well. The code does not say whether a hitched combination is measured as one vehicle, so ask the parking office. It also states two intersection distances, 80 feet and 100 feet, and the greater one satisfies both.
Section 6-1-1608(B), added in 2022, keeps LNCVs and non-motorized vehicles out of every public parking lot.
Can you park an RV in your driveway in Burbank?
Yes, if it is a motorhome of 22 feet or less. Section 10-1-1405 prohibits parking or storing an airplane, boat, house car, mobile home, motor vehicle or trailer in the front yard of a residential lot, or in the side yard facing a street on a corner or reverse corner lot. Four kinds of vehicle are excepted when parked on a permanently constructed driveway:
- Passenger vehicles as the Vehicle Code defines them, house cars excluded.
- House cars not exceeding 22 feet in length.
- Pickup trucks not used for commercial purposes.
- Motor trucks while on business calls.
Each must be currently licensed by the DMV and able to move under its own power, or temporarily disabled for no more than 72 hours. A house car is the zoning code's term for a vehicle with motive power designed or used for human habitation, including a truck with a camper mounted on it. A travel trailer has no motive power, so it is not a house car.
Boats and trailers do not appear among the exceptions. A boat on a trailer parked on the front yard portion of a driveway is outside what the section allows. Section 6-1-1038(A) of the traffic code separately bars parking any vehicle on a required front or side setback or yard in a residential zone, except as section 10-1-1405 permits on an improved driveway or in an approved garage or carport. A parking citation is therefore possible as well as a zoning complaint.
| Location | Motorhome (house car) | Boat or trailer | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public street | LNCV permit at 22 ft or more in length, or 8 ft or more in height or width; 72 hours, then 48 off | Hitched to a vehicle and 100 ft from an intersection; a trailer may also stay up to 24 hours to load or unload | 6-1-1010.1, 6-1-1013, 6-1-1014 |
| City parking lot | Not allowed if an LNCV | Not allowed | 6-1-1608(B) |
| Front driveway | Allowed up to 22 ft if licensed and operable | Not listed as allowed | 10-1-1405 |
Section 10-1-1405 reaches the front yard and the street-facing side yard, and the zoning code defines both as yards of a required depth measured from the lot line. It is silent on the area behind them, so how the city treats a vehicle kept further back on a lot is a question for the Planning Division.
Can you pave a pad for an RV or boat in a Burbank front yard?
Not freely. In the R-1 and R-1-H zones, section 10-1-603(G)(5) limits hardscape to 45 percent of the required front yard or street-facing side yard setback area, with a further 5 percent possible for decorative paving within a landscaped area. The hardscape that is allowed is a driveway leading directly from the street or alley to a garage or other required parking, pedestrian paths and listed encroachments. No paving may sit beside a driveway so as to create one continuous hard surface, and no vehicle may be parked in those yards except on a driveway, subject to section 10-1-1405.
What should a buyer or seller check before closing?
For a buyer who owns a motorhome, a boat or a horse trailer, the storage plan is worth settling before the offer, since the street covers at most 96 days a year.
- Measure the vehicle the way section 6-1-102 does, hitch included.
- Measure the driveway, and check where the garage sits. A house car over 22 feet has no place in a front yard.
- Check the block for posted restrictions and for residential permit parking.
Owners in the equestrian district can read this next to the Rancho horsekeeping rules, since a horse trailer falls under the same street and front yard rules.
For anyone preparing to sell, a boat or trailer parked in the front setback is a visible code issue in listing photos. An extra paved pad is paving, and is better not described as RV parking.
Q: Does the 72-hour rule restart if the RV moves down the block? Not if the move is only to avoid the limit. Under section 6-1-1010(A), successive parking in the same block between intersections is presumed to be a single act in that case. Vehicle Code section 22651(k) allows removal of a vehicle parked on a highway for 72 or more consecutive hours in violation of a local ordinance authorizing removal, and section 6-1-1010(B) gives the Burbank Police Department that authority.
This article summarizes the Burbank Municipal Code as published online on October 13, 2026 and is not legal advice. Fees and procedures change, so confirm them with the City of Burbank. Call Alla at (818) 699-5367 or use the enquiry form.
More on this community in the Burbank area guide.