RV parking rules in Spokane

Spokane RV parking at a glance

Can I store an RV in my driveway or yard?

SMC 17C.230.145 applies to residential uses in RA, R1, R2, RMF, RHD and FBC CA4. Utility trailers, motorized RVs and nonmotorized recreational equipment cannot be stored in the first 20 feet from either the front lot line or a side-street lot line. An ordinary front driveway can therefore be too short even when the unit fits off the sidewalk.

Measure from the actual lot line to the nearest part of the full unit. A fence or vegetation does not remove the first-20-feet restriction. Other districts and manufactured-home parks need their own zoning review.

Does RV storage have to be paved?

The same residential section expressly allows the listed recreational equipment to be stored on an unpaved surface; gravel is not required for that storage exception. General driveways and parking areas need an all-weather surface. The distinction between storing a unit and creating a general parking/loading area matters.

Vehicle-area coverage is generally at most 40% of the front area in RA/R1 and 20% in the other listed zones, with a 20% side-street area limit. The nine-foot-wide minimum vehicle-area provision and approved principal-arterial access exception have specific conditions. Obtain the City’s layout determination before relying on an exception.

How long can an RV stay on a Spokane street?

SMC 16A.05.310 gives non-passenger vehicles outside the Paid Parking Zone a ceiling of 24 continuous hours on one block face for loading or unloading, subject to shorter signs. The NPV definition includes motorhomes, trailers of any type, campers and watercraft. Spokane’s passenger-vehicle 72-hour clock is a different rule.

The Paid Parking Zone has its own 24-hour block-face ceiling, shorter posted/payment-device limits and payment and stall requirements. The checker leaves that area for an exact-location answer. Moving a few spaces on the same block face does not erase the time already spent there.

Does loading or repair create an exception?

Use the 24-hour NPV loading route for actual loading/unloading. It should not be treated as routine empty-RV storage between trips. Shorter signs and obstruction rules continue to apply.

SMC 16A.05.480 separately prohibits parking in the public right-of-way for lubrication or repairs, except repairs necessitated by an emergency. Ordinary maintenance does not become lawful simply because the vehicle is there less than 24 hours.

Can guests sleep in an RV at home?

SMC 17C.319.200 caps occupancy of RVs and temporary shelters on ordinary private property at 14 days in a consecutive 12-month period. Include earlier occupied days; January 1 does not start a new allowance. Permanent RV dwelling use is prohibited outside the stated manufactured/mobile-home-park exception.

The park route requires its own safety and utility conditions. The 14-day ceiling does not establish permission to install home hookups or convert a stored vehicle into an accessory dwelling. Occupied boats need a separate classification answer.

Which Spokane sources and jurisdiction apply?

This guide covers the incorporated City of Spokane. Spokane Valley, Airway Heights and unincorporated Spokane County can have different placement and camping rules. Use the municipal boundary and zoning parcel record, not the postal city alone.

The full current City code sections were reviewed October 20, 2026. Former SMC 16A.61.562 is expressly repealed effective June 28, 2021; older four-hour articles are not used as current law. Exact signs, later special orders, property covenants and case-specific approvals remain address checks.

What should I do with an RV before Spokane snow season?

The City's snow-removal guidance says to move RVs, boats and trailers off the street to winter storage before the November 15–March 15 snow season. This is City operational guidance, not a new general street-parking allowance.

• Residential streets: the City asks residents to park on the odd-numbered side during snow season. That request does not authorize storing an RV there.
• Downtown: the City describes midnight–6 a.m. street restrictions on snowy days, with possible towing during noticed events. Check the current announcement and your block's signs through the City page or Spokane 311.

Arrange off-street storage suitable for the actual vehicle. The City's mention of alternative parking does not establish RV acceptance, clearance or permission to sleep.

Targeted operational review November 3, 2026. No active restriction or full snow-ordinance review was verified. Existing 24-hour non-passenger-vehicle loading conditions, private-storage rules and their original review dates remain separate; the checker does not determine snow compliance.

Who to contact for your setup

To reach the City about the setup rather than only read the code, use Spokane 311’s official help route: call 311 within city limits or 509-755-2489 from outside. Ask to be routed to Planning for the parcel and proposed use, or Parking Services for the actual street and stay history. Have the address, vehicle dimensions and complete dates ready; a service inquiry is not a parking or occupancy approval.

Ask Spokane 311 or City Planning/Parking Services about the exact parcel zoning, full unit footprint and complete block-face or rolling occupancy history. Use the linked official code sections when requesting an address-specific determination.

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

Official sources and scoped review dates

Storage, loading and occupancy sources reviewed October 20, 2026

• SMC 16A.05.310: parking time limits

  Full current City code text retrieved October 20, 2026. Ordinance C36400, effective August 18, 2023; unpaid NPV loading 24 hours, passenger 72 hours, paid-zone 24 hours and shorter signs.

• SMC 17C.230.145: residential parking and RV storage

  Full current City code retrieved October 20, 2026. C36448, effective November 23, 2023. Front/side-street restrictions, vehicle-area coverage and unpaved RV-storage exception.

• SMC 17C.319.200: recreational camping

  Full current City code retrieved October 20, 2026. C34717 effective June 3, 2011; 14 days in consecutive 12 months; permanent dwelling exception for parks.

• SMC 16A.04.100: non-passenger vehicle definition

  Official indexed definition includes motorhomes, trailers of any type, campers and watercraft.

• SMC 16A.05.480: vehicle repairs

  Full current text retrieved; public right-of-way repair prohibition with emergency-repair exception.

• Repealed SMC 16A.61.562

  Repealed effective June 28, 2021. Historical four-hour article is not current authority.

Winter operational source reviewed November 3, 2026

• City of Spokane: Snow Response Operations and FAQ

  Complete official-page text read November 3, 2026. Supports seasonal preparation and noticed downtown events. No event declaration, map boundaries, facility suitability or complete later-amendment clearance was verified.

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