Jurisdiction and research scope
Shoreline, Washington only, not Seattle, nearby cities or unincorporated King County. Confirm the actual municipal boundary and parcel zoning. Reviewed November 11, 2026; the published code includes legislation through October 5, 2026 and incorporates Ordinance 1072, effective October 13, 2026. The separate adopted-law list and November 9 council materials were reviewed. Confirm later changes, site-specific approvals, shoreline/floodplain restrictions and any controlling exception.
Research by Can I Park My RV?Official municipal sources; conditions and limits shown belowEditorial standard
Shoreline RV parking at a glance
| Location or use | What to check |
|---|---|
| Driveway / front | Vehicle parking/storage needs a garage, carport or approved impervious surface, pervious concrete or pavers, with direct access. Confirm zoning, dimensions, access, lawful existing conditions and other site requirements. |
| Side / rear | General parking is outside setbacks, with a rear-yard exception retaining at least 5 feet from the rear property line. Occupied RVs have a separate no-yard-setback condition; do not apply that general exception to a guest stay. |
| Public street | The traffic code prohibits vehicle sleeping, housekeeping or cooking on or in any public right-of-way or parking area. Unoccupied street parking still depends on signs, location, registration and other traffic restrictions; no general overnight permission is established. |
| Loading / service | No general multi-day RV loading pass is established. Active loading remains subject to the location, signs, clearance and applicable traffic rules; it does not authorize sleeping. |
| Sleeping / guests | Owner permission; generally up to 2 weeks per occupancy, no more than 2 occupancies per calendar year per lot. Up to 30 days requires approved water and wastewater utilities. Count, surface, setback, nuisance, generator and business restrictions also apply. |
| Utilities | Approved utilities including water and wastewater disposal support the conditional stay of up to 30 days. A hose, cord or tank alone does not establish approval or authorize permanent residence. |
Can I park or sleep in an RV on a Shoreline street?
SMC §10.05.030(E)(5) prohibits using a vehicle for human habitation “on or in any public right-of-way or parking area.” Human habitation includes sleeping, setting up housekeeping or cooking. An otherwise legal parking space is not by itself an RV campsite.
For an unoccupied RV, check the exact block, posted limits, registration, traffic clearances and other applicable rules. The same chapter restricts parking on sidewalks and planting strips, in bicycle lanes, and where official signs prohibit stopping or parking. Moving within the same block to avoid a particular time limit is restricted, subject to the cited disability-parking provisions. Its midnight–6 a.m. width rule concerns commercial vehicles over 80 inches wide in or abutting residentially zoned areas; do not automatically classify every personal RV as commercial.
Chapter 10.30 also refers to the City Clerk’s Restricted Parking Inventory, receiving number 3533. Confirm the actual road and any trailer-attachment, loading or local sign restriction. The 24-hour periods in the towing provisions are enforcement thresholds, not a day of free parking or sleeping permission.
Can I store an unused RV in my driveway or yard?
SMC §20.40.467 allows parking areas as an accessory to the primary use allowed in the zone, not as a primary use. Surface compliance alone does not authorize a standalone parking or storage operation.
SMC §20.50.410(A) requires vehicle parking and storage to be in a garage, carport or on an approved impervious surface, pervious concrete or pavers, including grass-block pavers. The surface must have direct access. Ordinary grass or gravel is not an automatic approved parking surface.
Section 20.50.410(B) limits vehicles associated with a dwelling unit parked or stored outside a building or carport to six, excluding a maximum combined two boats, RVs or trailers. This is the wording of the general outdoor vehicle-count rule, not an independent authorization for two occupied RVs. The occupied-RV count is different.
Under §20.50.410(E), parking is generally outside setbacks. It may encroach into a rear-yard setback while keeping at least five feet from the rear property line. Required landscaping must remain clear. These general provisions do not override the specific rule against parking an occupied RV in a yard setback.
The section also regulates parking-space dimensions, circulation and pedestrian access. It allows tandem residential parking and a limited walkway-overhang exception with wheel stops or curbs and at least 60 inches of clear pedestrian passage. Legally nonconforming parking spaces have a separate continuation provision in subsection N; do not presume that an existing pad or yard is legally nonconforming. Ask Planning to confirm the parcel’s zoning, lawful parking area, access, setbacks, required landscaping and any site-specific conditions before relying on a driveway or yard location.
How long can someone stay in an RV on private property?
SMC §20.40.495 provides a conditional temporary-lodging route for an RV on a lot with the property owner’s permission. The ordinary limit is up to two weeks per occupancy, with no more than two occupancies per calendar year per lot. The law says that two weeks equals one occupancy; do not turn this into unlimited short visits totaling 28 days.
All of the following conditions matter:
- One RV per lot, with additional RVs tied to each additional 10,000 square feet above the particular zone’s minimum lot size. Have Planning confirm the current zone, applicable minimum and calculation rather than assuming every 10,000-square-foot lot qualifies for a second RV.
- No public-health hazard or nuisance.
- An approved parking surface meeting the Engineering Development Manual’s off-street construction standards.
- No placement in a yard setback.
- No business occupation conducted in the RV.
- No generator use.
The same section allows temporary lodging for up to 30 days if connected to approved utilities including water and wastewater disposal. It does not remove the other conditions or the per-lot occupancy limit. Confirm how an interrupted stay or the longer utility-connected stay is counted. A hose, extension cord or holding tank is not evidence of City-approved utility connections.
The RV definition in §20.20.044 includes vehicles primarily designed for recreational camping, travel or seasonal use, whether self-propelled, mounted on another vehicle or towed. It expressly includes travel trailers, folding camping trailers, park trailers, truck campers, motorhomes and multi-use vehicles. Manufactured/mobile homes have separate definitions that exclude RVs.
Can I get permission for a longer stay or more RVs?
Section 20.40.495(I) allows a proposal to deviate from the time limits, number of occupancies per year or number of RVs through a temporary-use permit. Applying is not approval, and the ordinary limits do not become optional while an application is pending.
Section 20.30.295 makes a temporary-use permit discretionary. Its criteria address public health and safety, compatibility with nearby uses, operating hours, noise/light impacts, critical areas and location outside Shoreline Master Program jurisdiction. Ordinary temporary-use permits may run up to 60 operating calendar days, with authority to impose a shorter period or extend up to one year. Those are permit rules, not automatic RV stay allowances. The section’s limited exemptions for some uses in specified commercial zones are not a general residential-RV waiver.
Transitional encampments, emergency shelters, mobile-home parks, floodplain sites and shoreline-regulated land require their own review. Ask the City about the exact proposal and the scope of any written approval. This guide does not establish a permanent RV residence, rental use, campground or utility-installation approval.
Do mobile-home parks or storage facilities have different rules?
Yes. Under §20.40.460(C), an existing mobile-home park’s space or pad may accommodate an RV only when specifically adapted for it. Section 20.40.460(J) separately permits a storage area for RVs belonging to park residents only if it has no utility hookups and no RV there is used as living quarters.
Section 20.40.504 addresses self-storage facilities separately: goods and property must be stored inside an enclosed building, and outdoor storage of boats, RVs and vehicles is prohibited under that provision. Individual storage units cannot be residences. Verify that a facility actually accepts the RV and that the proposed storage is lawful; a storage listing does not authorize sleeping.
Who to contact for your setup
Call Shoreline Planning and Community Development at 206-801-2500, or email pcd@shorelinewa.gov, about the actual parcel, approved parking surface, zoning/setbacks, RV count, temporary lodging, utilities and permit exceptions. Provide the vehicle type, property location, intended dates, prior occupancies this calendar year and any existing approval. For the Restricted Parking Inventory or street-enforcement referral, the City Clerk’s Office lists 206-801-2230.
Use the Shoreline parking checker to organize the starting conditions. The checker cannot approve a parcel, a variance or an unverified exception.
Official sources reviewed November 11, 2026
- Shoreline RV temporary lodging, §20.40.495
RV temporary-lodging conditions, mobile-home-park distinctions, accessory parking areas and enclosed self-storage requirements. Reviewed November 11, 2026.
- Shoreline vehicle parking and storage, §20.50.410
Approved surfaces, direct access, outdoor vehicle count, parking dimensions, setbacks, landscaping and legally nonconforming spaces. Includes Ordinance 1072.
- Shoreline adopted Ordinance 1072
Signed ordinance passed October 5, published October 8 and effective October 13, 2026. Exhibit A amends general parking standards; it does not amend the specific occupied-RV conditions in §20.40.495.
- Shoreline RV and yard-setback definitions, Chapter 20.20
Section 20.20.044 defines RV to include motorhomes, travel trailers, folding camping trailers, park trailers, truck campers and multi-use vehicles. Sections 20.20.046 and 20.20.058 distinguish setbacks and yards.
- Shoreline traffic code, Chapter 10.05
Local §10.05.030(E)(5) defines and prohibits vehicle human habitation on or in any public right-of-way or parking area. Towing clocks are not parking or sleeping permission.
- Shoreline restricted parking zones, Chapter 10.30
Local restrictions include the Restricted Parking Inventory held by the City Clerk under receiving number 3533; the guide does not approve a particular block.
- Shoreline temporary-use permits, §20.30.295
A temporary-use permit is discretionary, with health, compatibility, operating-hours, noise/light and environmental conditions. Special encampment/shelter rules are separate.
- Shoreline official code coverage
Code cover states legislation through October 5, 2026. This is distinct from the November 11, 2026 source review.
- Shoreline adopted laws not yet codified
As of November 11, 2026, the adopted-law list contains Ordinance 1070, a sales/use-tax amendment effective January 1, 2027.
- Shoreline November 9, 2026 council agenda
Ordinances 1073–1077 are listed as discussion items, not adopted RV rules. The 1073 staff report schedules potential action for December 14, 2026, including the station-area items.
- Shoreline November 9 comprehensive-plan staff report
Official report describes proposed 1073–1077 and potential December 14 action. Proposals are not applied as current law.
- Shoreline Planning and Community Development contact
Official Planning and Community Development contact: 206-801-2500 and pcd@shorelinewa.gov.
A review date records when we checked these sources. The notes above identify the reviewed edition and unresolved requirements; an address-specific city determination may still be required. Read our research method.
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