Jurisdiction and research scope
Township of Livingston, Essex County, New Jersey only. Chapter 304 defines trailers as vehicles without motive power; this guide does not extend its trailer rule to motorhomes. Current published Chapter 304, adopted November 5, 1979; read November 6, 2026.
Research by Can I Park My RV?Official municipal sources; access limits shown belowEditorial standard
Livingston RV parking at a glance
| Location or use | What to check |
|---|---|
| Driveway / yard | No ordinary open driveway exception; qualifying storage must be behind the dwelling. At most one trailer and one boat owned by the resident owner, in the half of the rear yard nearest the house, within its outside-wall width and below its lowest-roof high point. |
| Street / loading | Emergency or temporary trailer/trailed-boat stopping is limited to one hour, subject to other street restrictions. The one-hour street exception is not a private driveway loading allowance. |
| Sleeping / utilities | The permitted stored or parked trailer may not be occupied or used as a dwelling. Chapter 304 supplies no separate utility authorization. |
Which vehicles and rear-yard position
The Chapter 304 definition is a wheeled conveyance without its own motive power. It covers a travel trailer, not automatically a self-propelled motorhome. Outdoor trailers and boats are generally prohibited on public places and private lots. The exception permits no more than one trailer and one boat, stored by their owner behind the dwelling, where feasible. They must remain in the half of the rear yard closest to the house, with no part beyond its outside walls or above the highest point of its lowest roof. A trailer may not exceed 25 feet. Commercial trailers have separate residential zoning restrictions under §170-87Y.
Street stops and special events
Emergency or temporary parking or stopping of a trailer or trailed boat on a street or highway is permitted for no more than one hour, subject to any stricter traffic or parking rules for that road. This does not authorize blocking a sidewalk, ignoring signs or storing the unit on a street. Section 304-4 separately covers specified public health or public-agency programs, construction projects and Council-authorized functions; those are not ordinary visitor exceptions.
Occupancy and services
A trailer stored or parked under the residential exception cannot be occupied or used for dwelling purposes. The ordinance does not grant guest sleeping or utility connection rights. A fully enclosed building, a motorhome, or a use outside the narrow ordinary trailer route needs its own zoning determination rather than an inferred approval.
Who to contact for your setup
Ask Livingston Planning or Code Enforcement to confirm jurisdiction, the actual parcel or road, vehicle classification, position, duration and intended use. Obtain the required road, building, electrical, plumbing or wastewater approvals before relying on a parking exception. Easements, HOA rules and leases remain separate. Start with the official rule or permit guidance.
Use the Livingston 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
- Livingston Chapter 304: Trailers and Boats
Definition, rear-yard exception, length limit, dwelling prohibition and emergency street stops.
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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