RV parking rules in Ephrata Borough

Ephrata Borough RV parking at a glance

Can I park an RV in my Ephrata front yard?

Section 319-27D(14)(f) says an RV, trailer or boat may not be kept in a dwelling’s front yard for more than two days in any seven-day period. Other parts of a residential lot require at least three feet from the lot line of another dwelling, with landscaping or a mostly solid fence between the vehicle and that line. Maintain vehicles, trailers and boats to prevent fuel/mechanical-fluid leaks.

A paved driveway does not remove a legal front-yard designation. On corner lots, §319-27C treats both street-adjoining yards as fronts. Its fence exception does not automatically create an RV exception.

Why is there also a 25-foot rule?

Section 281-74, in the subdivision chapter’s mobile-home-park article, also says unoccupied RVs may be stored in a private garage, carport or rear/side yard, but not on a public street. It then says an RV stored in a front or side yard must be at least 25 feet behind every street right-of-way. The initial location list omits the front yard even though the next sentence addresses it.

Do not discard that text or silently turn it into universal front-yard permission. Ask zoning how §281-74 applies to an existing residential parcel and how it combines with the zoning two-day cap and three-foot/screening rule. §319-25 says the stricter requirement governs a direct conflict.

May guests sleep in an RV for five days?

Not automatically. Zoning §319-27D(14)(h) says an RV may not be used as a residence for more than five days in any 30-day period. That is a ceiling, not an affirmative grant of the first five days.

Section 281-74 separately says RVs may be erected and maintained for living purposes only in a duly licensed mobile home park, with occupancy there no more than 60 days in a year. These provisions need an official applicability/interpretation determination. This guide does not offer a five-day driveway guest allowance.

Can I store an RV on a public street?

Section 281-74 expressly says unoccupied RVs may not be stored or parked on a public street. Because the section appears in the subdivision/mobile-home-park article, confirm its application to your existing parcel and proposed street activity rather than assuming a gap allows parking. Other traffic and posted controls also apply. No RV-loading grace period is established by the cited text.

What about repairs, rentals and hookups?

The residential accessory rules prohibit repairs to motor vehicles not owned or leased by a resident or their relative, and truck repairs above 13,000 pounds aggregate gross vehicle weight. These are not general repair permissions for all other situations. The 2026 short-term dwelling-rental ordinance does not turn an RV into a permitted short-term rental. Utility connections and sanitation require separate approvals and do not resolve the conflicting living-use provisions.

Who to contact for your setup

Ask Ephrata Borough zoning staff about your parcel, zoning district, vehicle classification, legal yard boundaries and intended activity. Ask Police about the exact street, posted restrictions and temporary controls. Confirm later amendments, private covenants, leases and utility approvals separately.

Use the Ephrata Borough parking checker to organize the starting conditions. The checker cannot approve a parcel, a variance or an unverified exception.

Official sources reviewed November 6, 2026

• Ephrata §§319-25 and 319-27D(14): residential accessory RV rules

  Two-day front-yard cap, three-foot setback/screening elsewhere, leak prevention and five-day-in-30 residence ceiling; stricter conflicting requirement applies under §319-25.

• Ephrata §281-74: recreational vehicles

  Separate subdivision/mobile-home-park article: living only in licensed park, 60-day park limit, no public street storage and 25-foot front/side right-of-way wording.

• Ephrata Ordinance 1603, July 13, 2026

  Amends principal uses and D(15) short-term dwelling rental, not D(14) RV standards; full ordinance retained.

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 borough determination may still be required. Read our research method.