RV parking rules in West Caldwell Township

West Caldwell Township RV parking at a glance

Can I store an RV in the front yard?

No under §20-22.9e. RVs, boats, trailers, campers, similar conveyances and portions of them cannot be stored in any front yard. A driveway label does not erase the front-yard boundary.

What setbacks apply?

The storage provision incorporates §20-19.1f: in a residential district, the property-line distance is 50% of the actual or required principal-building side-yard setback, whichever is greater. In nonresidential districts it is 100%, unless another provision supplies an exception. Section 20-23.3g separately requires five feet from residential property lines, with a Board-approved contiguous-driveway exception. Ask zoning staff to apply both rules to the actual parcel.

Is there a 20-foot RV limit?

Do not assume a settled answer. Section 20-22.9e says RV storage must conform to §20-23.3c. That parking subsection restricts regular residential outdoor parking to resident-owned or regularly used single-chassis vehicles with at most four wheels, 20-foot length, seven-foot height and 7,000-pound rated gross capacity, plus other conditions. But it then says nothing there shall prohibit RV storage regulated by §20-22.9e. These cross-references are circular. Obtain an official interpretation rather than treating either sentence as an unconditional size exemption or RV ban.

Do later amendments or camping rules matter?

Ordinance 1905, adopted August 4, 2026, changes §20-23.3c’s nonresidential parking language to include rear yards in M-1/M-2 and also changes industrial mechanical-equipment placement. Do not use the older online nonresidential wording alone. The selected storage provisions do not establish street parking, guest sleeping or utility permission. Overlay districts and later parcel approvals also need review.

Who to contact for your setup

Ask West Caldwell Township zoning staff about your parcel, vehicle and intended activity. Ask Police about street parking. Confirm later ordinances, private covenants, easements and utility approvals separately.

Use the West Caldwell Township 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

• West Caldwell §§20-22.9e, 20-19.1f and 20-23.3

  Full zoning text retained. Circular storage cross-references unresolved. Ordinance 1905 changes nonresidential c text; see separate official amendment source. Publisher code date 2025-08-19. Later ordinances require confirmation.

• West Caldwell Ordinance 1905

  Adopted August 4, 2026. Section 13 changes nonresidential §20-23.3c to include rear yards in M-1/M-2; §20-19.1k industrial mechanical-equipment change is separate from f setbacks. Broader development amendments require parcel review.

• West Caldwell Ordinance 1902

  Adopted March 3, 2026 according to publisher listing. R-9A multifamily overlay; site-specific overlay rules require separate determination.

• West Caldwell Ordinance 1903

  Adopted March 17, 2026 according to publisher listing. R-9B multifamily overlay; site-specific overlay rules require separate determination.

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