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Santa Clarita RV, Boat and Trailer Parking Rules: Street, Driveway and Side Yard
Inside Santa Clarita city limits, a motorhome, boat or trailer that meets two of three size tests cannot sit on a public street in any residential, commercial, industrial or business park zone, except while loading or under repair for up to 48 hours, while delivering goods, with a disabled person license plate, or under a free city permit good for 72 hours and capped at three permits in any 120 days. On the lot itself, the zoning code keeps vehicles out of the required front yard on every residential lot, and out of street view on lots of a quarter acre or less outside the Placerita Canyon, Happy Valley and Sand Canyon special standards districts; the driveway is the one exception. The two rules live in different titles of the municipal code, and an RV owner should read both before writing an offer.
What counts as an oversized vehicle in Santa Clarita?
Chapter 12.94 of the municipal code, Oversized Vehicle Parking Regulations, defines an oversized vehicle as any motor vehicle, boat or trailer that meets or exceeds at least two of three measurements, not counting fixtures, accessories or property on board: 23 feet in length, 8 feet in height, or 7 feet in width. One measurement is not enough. The definition does not say how a trailer tongue is measured, so an owner near the 23-foot line should ask first.
Where can an oversized vehicle park on a Santa Clarita street?
Nowhere, by default. Section 12.94.020.A prohibits parking an oversized vehicle on any public street or public place within any residential, commercial, industrial or business park zone. Four exceptions remain:
| Exception in 12.94.020.A | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Being loaded or unloaded | up to 48 consecutive hours |
| Temporary maintenance or emergency repairs | up to 48 consecutive hours |
| Pickup or delivery of goods and merchandise | no stated limit |
| Displaying a valid DMV disabled person license plate | none |
The 48 hours are consecutive and run through weekends. That is a 2023 change. Until then the chapter exempted any oversized vehicle parked on the street on Saturday, Sunday or a national holiday, and the loading and repair windows ran within a Monday-to-Friday calendar week. The City Council adopted Ordinance 23-3 on April 25, 2023, and the code now shows exception 1 as repealed by that ordinance; the city's 2001 policy memo, cited below, describes that exception as the weekend and national holiday exemption. The city's own Code Enforcement FAQ still prints the older wording, with "(Monday through Friday)" attached to both 48-hour windows. The code controls, so plan on 48 straight hours, not two business days.
The chapter stands down during a Council-declared state of emergency and does not apply to commercial vehicles, which Section 12.64.260 covers separately.
How do the free oversized vehicle permits work?
Section 12.94.030 lets the city issue an Oversized Vehicle Parking Permit. Each permit is valid for no more than three consecutive days, 72 hours, and no person or vehicle can receive more than three permits in any 120-day period. The code says all permits "shall be issued at no expense to the applicant," and the permit goes on the lower driver's side of the windshield.
The Code Enforcement FAQ sends applicants to the city's online Resident Service Center ("To complete a parking permit application, visit the Resident Service Center"); questions go to the Parking Enforcement hotline, (661) 286-4166.
Does the 72-hour rule apply to a car as well as an RV?
Yes, and it changed in the same month. Section 12.64.200 bars leaving any vehicle parked on a highway for more than 72 consecutive hours. Ordinance 23-2, adopted the same day as the oversized vehicle amendment, is the latest change to the section, which now carries a distance test: a vehicle counts as not moved unless it has gone more than 150 feet from its original position, measured from the curb face abutting the original spot, or from the lot line where there is no curb.
Can an RV or boat sit in the driveway or side yard?
The driveway, yes. The front lawn, no, on any lot. An open side yard, only on larger lots. Section 17.57.020(N) of the zoning code, titled "Residential Lots Shall Be Kept Free of Vehicles," reads: "With the exception of the driveway, a person shall not keep, store, park, maintain or otherwise allow any vehicle or any vehicle part" in the required front yard, or in "any additional area of a residential lot that is not predominantly screened from a public or private street by solid fencing, walls or vegetation." The full text is at 17.57.020.
One carve-out follows, and it attaches only to the screening rule in item 2: that rule does not apply to lots over a gross quarter acre, 10,890 square feet, or inside the special standards districts of Placerita Canyon, Happy Valley and Sand Canyon shown in Figure 17.57-1. The required front yard ban in item 1 has no lot-size exemption. So on a tract lot a boat can stand behind a solid side gate but not on the grass beside the garage where the street can see it; over 10,890 square feet it may stand unscreened beside the house, but still not on the front lawn.
The section names "recreational vehicles, trailers, or vessels" in 17.57.020(R)(4), which bars occupying one as a residence, temporary or permanent, in all zones unless a temporary use permit under Section 17.23.200 says otherwise.
How wide can the driveway be paved for a second vehicle?
One way to deal with the side yard is to pave it, and subsection 17.57.020(O) sets the limits. Paving for vehicular use may extend a maximum of 10 feet into the side yard past the width of the garage, on the side of the garage opposite the front door. Anything beyond 10 feet needs review by the Director, judged on compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood and the intent of the code. A secondary 10-foot driveway in a side yard with room for it may be allowed only through an adjustment under Section 17.24.100, and even then at least 50 percent of the required front yard must stay landscaped. Vehicles may not cross any area designated as front-yard landscaping, so driving over the lawn to reach the side yard is out.
Subsection (P) adds the surface rules: every driveway must be at least 10 feet wide, parcels under one acre must have a solid, secure surface driveway, and circular driveways are not permitted on lots smaller than 10,980 square feet, a threshold 90 square feet above the quarter-acre figure in subsection (N).
Subsection (O)(3) adds that city approval "shall not supersede the approval of any other affected agency including, but not limited to, homeowners' associations," so the CC&Rs get read first.
Is the rule the same in Stevenson Ranch or Castaic?
No. Chapter 12.94 and Title 17 are Santa Clarita ordinances and stop at the city line. Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Val Verde and Agua Dulce are unincorporated Los Angeles County, where county code and the Sheriff's Department apply instead; the city will not accept payment for a citation written outside city limits and refers the recipient to the Sheriff's Parking Enforcement Detail. How to tell which side of the line an address sits on is covered in Santa Clarita city limits versus unincorporated LA County.
The chapter was not always enforced on sight. A City Council policy adopted January 9, 2001, the day the ordinance passed, directed the Sheriff's Department to cite "on a complaint basis only," on a complaint from a "verified affected neighbor" within two blocks. That 2001 policy memo is still posted on the city's file server, but the FAQ now assigns enforcement to the city's own Parking Enforcement function, and neither document says whether the complaint-only practice survived 2023.
What a buyer and a seller should do with this
A buyer shopping Santa Clarita with a motorhome or a boat should measure the vehicle, then check three things on any candidate lot: the square footage against 10,890, whether the lot sits inside the Placerita Canyon, Happy Valley or Sand Canyon district boundaries on Figure 17.57-1, and whether the side yard behind the gate can hold the vehicle out of view.
A seller preparing to sell a house with an RV pad or a widened driveway should pull the permit record for the paving before the inspection period raises the question. A home valuation for a lot over a quarter acre should treat unscreened side or rear yard vehicle storage as a feature the code allows there and not on the smaller lots nearby. The Burbank version is in Burbank RV, boat and trailer parking rules.
Q: My lot is 11,000 square feet. Can the boat sit on the lawn? Beside the house, yes: over 10,890 square feet the screening rule in (N)(2) falls away. On the front lawn, no: (N)(1) still bars the required front yard on every lot. The nuisance rule on inoperable vehicles in public view, SCMC 23.30.040.M.4, applies even on private property.
This article summarizes Santa Clarita Municipal Code Chapter 12.94, Sections 12.64.200 and 12.64.260, and Section 17.57.020 as published on the city's code host on October 18, 2026, plus the Community Preservation Division's pages. Codes change, HOA covenants are separate, and this is not legal advice. Confirm with Community Preservation at (661) 286-4076 before buying or paving. Call Alla at (818) 699-5367 or use the enquiry form.
More on this community in the Santa Clarita area guide.