Are FT RVers being unnecessarily harrassed ?

[Deuceofspades]

I'd love to hear from other FT RVers and see how you deal with the following HUGE issue we are facing and what experiences (good or bad) you may have had:

FACTS: Does your county zoning laws prohibit you to park your RV on private property and live in it EVEN IF YOU OWN THE PROPERTY AND THERE IS A LEGAL HOUSE ON IT? Los Angeles county certainly does.

FACTS: You can't park and occupy your RV:

1. On public streets and parking lots
2. On private property (even if you own it and there is a house on it)
3. In most RV parks (monthly rentals - if your RV is over 10 years old)

So WHERE are Full Time RVers who own RVs 2007 and older supposed to live / go? Are we expected to simply desintegrate and vanish into thin air? Or give up the lifestyle we love so dearly?

I paid $$$$ for my Monaco RV and it is still in MINT condition inside out. It is a 2006. Where do I go now?

Also why do Zoning people forbid RV owners to have their rigs plugged into power while parked on their own property? And why could you not live in your RV if you own the property and the house legally built on the property and if you have RV hookups. I looked at zoning codes for hours but never could find anything that states you are not allowed to. Still, Zoning officials keep enforcing this odd rule and basically forbidding people to live in their RVs in peace.

I would love to hear from all of you, share your research, experience, advice, pointers etc... Are there any states / counties that are RV friendly? Are there any loopholes or can permits be obtained to legally park an RV on private property and live in it?

Where do you live when you are not bouncing around from place to place?

[BarbaraOK]

Did the inspector cite the specific code and tell you if a complaint had been filed - or was he just out driving and saw the RV?

[jdb7566]

In my locale, I can park my RV alongside my house, but I can't "live" in it. I had the City "nazi" Inspector stop by one day not too long ago and asked me if I or anyone else was "living" in my RV, then proceeded to remind me of the city ordinance. I guess some have a need to be important.

[punomatic]

Deuceofspades wrote:
Also why do Zoning people forbid RV owners to have their rigs plugged into power while parked on their own property? And why could you not live in your RV if you own the property and the house legally built on the property and if you have RV hookups... Still, Zoning officials keep enforcing this odd rule and basically forbidding people to live in their RVs in peace.

In many locations this is about population density and taxation. If you have a home on a property, the septic or sewer system may have limited capacity. Adding an RV with full-time residents is like adding an additional family on the property (sewage facilities), but there is no additional property tax. Government officials are most interested in tax revenue. If you upset their plan for maximum taxation, they believe you are cheating the system (i.e., them).

[BarbaraOK]

It would be helpful if you were to list what was in the citation your friend received, which should have cited the specific code violation.

[qtla9111]

Isn't this really about revenue generation?

[Trackrig]

Bird Freak wrote:
But I do not and never would live in California.

That's the best answer, but there are strange things all over. Why I've even heard of subdivision in Texas that won't allow you to own a pick-up truck. They ought to tar and feather that HOA, they're just plain unpatriotic.

Bill

[Bird_Freak]

I also have never had any of the problems you describe. But I do not and never would live in California.

[Dutch_12078]

We own a small year-round vacation cottage in the southern Adirondack Mountains of upstate NY. When we upgraded the septic system years ago, we included a dump port for our motorhome, and also added water and electric supplies at the site. The septic system was done with the plans fully blessed of the town code enforcement officer. The cottage is in a popular recreation area with many RV's on lots, both seasonally and year round. There are no pertinent zoning laws for the area we're in that preclude living in an RV on your own or rented land. Although we only spend a total of a month or two at the cottage each year, usually continuing to live in the coach, the code officer is well aware of what we're doing, since he lives nearby and we talk fairly often when we're there.

[Deuceofspades]

Just finished reading all the replies. No I don't live in West Hills anymore (have not for a few years). But that's irrelevent cause the issue happpened to a close friend of mine and I have done a lot of research for him on this to help me and to inform myself (and avoid future headaches). He lives in a non-incorporated area and LA county rules over his property. He has a large property (3 acres) and it is zoned for residential / heavy agricultural. It is also zoned for 2 dwelling units. His property came with RV full hook ups in the back area of property (which area is HUGE). He had his RV parked there and plugged in to prevent heat damage.

As I said I never could find in LA county zoning code anything about storing of RVs. Isearched all 700 pages of the code. When I called zoning to ask, they had all sorts of rules they shared but were unable to tell me where those are located in their code. The gentleman referred me to another zoning office but I was not able to go visit that one as I got busy.

I feel this is a good topic to tackle and good for us to share our knowledge and experience as it may prevent some of us to run into problems in the future because of just "not knowing". Best to be aware, right? 🙂

So please continue to share your own experience and tell us where you stay when you are not bouncing around.

[D_E_Bishop]

Okay Deuce, You may be a bit confused, West Hills is not governed by L.A. County zoning laws and most likely you either didn't receive or didn't read your subdivision CC&Rs and L.A. City has ordinances that apply only to certain parts of the City and WHs is one of those areas that is worried about property values and therefore has some restrictions not intended to cover where we live in Eagle Rock. You do of course know that Carolyn Hann while on the City Council extended her hatred of RVs to everyplace she could and would have prohibited driving/towing them on Los Angeles streets if she could have. I doubt she is part of your predicament but those folks are all over.

It would be interesting to know what occurred to cause you to research the County zoning regulations. Did the County tell you or was it the City of Los Angeles that told you to move your RV? Is there someone in your neighborhood that is a gadfly that anonymously reported you to the (I think)City Dept. of Building and Safety? Another question I have is why do you want to live at your S&B if you are a full timer? Is someone living there and you are in effect adding a dwelling to your property. Do you have permanent and code compliant connections for your RV?

Zoning regulations that prohibit storing and using RVs are common in hundreds of thousands of areas throughout the U.S. Cities were and are in most areas intended for a combination of commercial(including industrial) and residential developments. They are by nature, "permanent improvements". RVs are temporary uses and therefore, their use has been restricted.

I don't feel my simplified explanation will satisfy your felling that it is your property and should be able to use it as you see fit. Just remember that the rules were written for the general good of the community, not to stop you from enjoying your RV.

You asked and I quote; "I would love to hear from all of you, share your research, experience, advice, pointers etc... Are there any states / counties that are RV friendly? Are there any loopholes or can permits be obtained to legally park an RV on private property and live in it?"


To answer your question about RV friendly states/counties that are RV friendly? Of course and I can name many, describe your needs and want regarding climate and population density as well public and private services and post that on the escapees website. Of course the answers will undoubtedly require you relocate.

As far as loopholes are concerned, I doubt it, there are work arounds, but zoning regulations have been challenged so much I don't feel there are loopholes.

[rhagfo]

SCVJeff wrote:
#3- "MOST" RV parks ? The 10 year rule is well known and most here are hard pressed to name any. I'd like to see your list

If you need to live on the street I suggest you head to San Jose. Housing is so expensive that this is a major issue up there, but there are lots living on the streets

I truly believe the "Ten Year Rule" is to allow the Resort/Park owner to keep out the junky looking RVs.

They might be better off stating a rule of clean and well kept appearance the "Ten Years".

Hosting in Oregon, I have seen some awesome looking vintage trailers, that if I were a park owner, would love to have in the park.

We had one lady, that even managed to find some very nice webbed lawn chairs. The interior was totally restored and it was beautiful .

[westernrvparkow]

I own RV parks and I don't want or allow anyone to live in their RVs full time at them. If I did, they would soon become trailer parks or, if you prefer, mobile home communities. While there are some trailer parks that are very nice, most just deteriorate year after year. That is not my business plan.
If you are traveling and staying at locations for days, weeks, or even several months at various places you will not have any problems finding a park that will accommodate your rig, no matter what the age, provided it is kept in presentable shape. Will every park accommodate you? No. But that is life. There are always places you will not gain admission into. No matter how avid a golfer you are, you aren't going to walk up and get a tee time at Augusta National. If Bill Gates had the most expensive RV in the world and wanted to set up camp in the middle of Central Park, he would be told "NO". On the other hand, I can drive my RV into amazing places and have hot water, electricity from my batteries and generator, satellite TV, all the comforts of home. Yet you can't drive to that same location and build a stick and brick house.

[ljr]

Mandalay Parr wrote:
I have not had any of those problems in my 10 years of full timing.

Nor have I but I've never owned property in CA.

[DallasSteve]

coolmom42 wrote:
In my county and city, zoning is very loose. So far as I know there is no restriction on RV parking on private property anywhere; there is a city restriction on an occupied RV on a lot where there is also an occupied house, since the lot is for a single dwelling. Some subdivisions prohibit mobile homes, so you could not set up a RV to live in long-term. I do know of people who have lived in them on their own lot while building or remodeling a house.

Maybe there's a loophole for someone who wants to live in an RV on an empty lot. Buy a lot, get a building permit, start some simple development, and go VEEEERRRRRY slowly - maybe one brick a day. If I decide to live permanently in one place I'd probably rather buy a lot in an RV park and not have to worry about developing the electricity, water, and sewer/septic.