Jurisdiction and research scope
Town of Bow, Merrimack County, New Hampshire only. Ordinary registered noncommercial RV or camping trailer on a lawful residential parcel in RU, R or R-1, outside overlay, nonconforming, campground, junkyard and discretionary-exception routes. Outdoor storage and actually permitted temporary private-site occupancy only; street parking receives an unresolved result.
Research by Can I Park My RV?Official municipal sources; access limits shown belowEditorial standard
Bow Town RV parking at a glance
| Location or use | What to check |
|---|---|
| driveway | A driveway does not waive the required-yard RV storage restriction. |
| yard | RU/R/R-1 ordinary route: 35-foot front and 20-foot side/rear yards. |
| street | Not determined by this zoning-only screen. |
Outdoor storage must clear every required yard
Section 7.17 bars a boat, recreational vehicle or camping trailer from the minimum required yards. For the ordinary Rural (RU), Residential (R) and Residential One Family (R-1) districts evaluated here, section 6.07 gives a 35-foot front yard and 20-foot side and rear yards. Section 6.03 requires front yards along every street frontage, so a corner lot cannot treat the second street edge as an ordinary side yard. The checker uses the smallest actual distance to any front or side boundary and also asks for the rear distance. Other districts, nonconforming lots, site-plan relief, overlays and approved exceptions require separate review. A driveway does not eliminate the RV storage setbacks.
Living use needs a permit and two cumulative day limits
Section 7.17 generally prohibits living quarters and housekeeping in this equipment. The Building Inspector may issue a temporary-occupancy permit when adequate sanitary facilities are provided. The permitted use cannot exceed ten days within any thirty-day period or thirty days within one calendar year. Both limits apply, including the proposed stay and previous use. The checker requires an actually issued permit covering the exact site and dates, adequate sanitation, compliance with all permit conditions, whole day counts for the most heavily used rolling thirty-day window and each affected calendar year, and no unresolved counting issue. A short stay alone is not permission.
Vehicle registration and campground rules are separate
Section 7.17 permits no more than one unregistered vehicle or trailer on a parcel outside a licensed junkyard and requires valid inspection stickers for vehicles in excess of that one unregistered vehicle. Legitimate antique, specialty or collectible motor-vehicle hobbyists have a separate Code Enforcement Officer route. The ordinary checker excludes that route and requires a registered RV plus confirmation that other applicable inspection requirements are met. Section 7.21 separately limits an RV, travel trailer or tent at a campground site to ninety days and excludes manufactured housing. That campground rule does not authorize a private residential campsite. Public-road parking and all utility hookups remain unresolved here.
Who to contact for your setup
Confirm the exact parcel and proposal with the municipality. Limited administrative screening of the cited local provisions only. This is not a permit, legal opinion, safety assurance, or complete land-use approval.
Use the Bow Town parking checker to organize the starting conditions. The checker cannot approve a parcel, a variance or an unverified exception.
Official sources reviewed November 7, 2026
- Official zoning ordinance, 2026 edition
Complete 133-page official PDF captured. Sections 6.03, 6.07, 7.17 and 7.21; amendment history includes June 9, 2026.
- Official ordinance and regulation index
Current official link identifies 2026 amendments included; separate mixed-use district articles are not evaluated.
- November 5, 2026 Planning Board agenda
Full agenda lists potential zoning amendments, not adopted amendments.
- October 15, 2026 Planning Board minutes
Marked unapproved. Full record reports no formal action on potential general zoning amendments; individual site approvals do not amend the general RV rule.
A review date records when we checked these sources. The notes above explain any use of older code editions or limits on access to the full source; an address-specific local-government determination may still be required. Read our research method.
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