Rochester RV Owners: Is Your Camper Breaking the Law?

Summer means more Minnesotans are hauling out the campers, firing up the RVs, and getting the boat ready for another weekend on the water. But if your recreational toys spend the rest of the summer sitting in your driveway or yard in Rochester, you might want to take a closer look at where they're parked, because the city has some rules you may not know about.

Minnesota is, of course, the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But we're also the Land of 240,000 Recreational Trailers. That's a rough estimate from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety of the number of recreational RVs and recreational-use trailers, pop-ups, and campers currently registered here in the North Star State. Minnesota's 2024 registration data lists about 31,500 motorized RVs and around 210,000 recreational trailers.

And now that we're in the middle of the busy summer season in the Bold North, many of those RVs, pop-up campers, boats, and wave runners are getting used much more often. But are you violating a local Rochester city ordinance if you leave one sitting in your driveway or yard between camping trips? And what about that big boat your neighbor is storing in their driveway or yard?

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Rochester RV and Camper Parking Rules Explained

As it turns out, they *could* be violating both the city of Rochester Unified Development Code (Section 60.300.020G Accessory Uses and Structures page 142) and the Rochester City Code of Ordinances Sec. 11-6-23.

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How Long Can You Park an RV on a Rochester Street?

Those two legal documents spell out just what you can-- and cannot-- do with your boat, RV, pop-up camper, or other piece of recreational equipment here in Minnesota's Med City. According to a release from the city:

• Recreational vehicles and equipment, including but not limited to “RVs”, travel trailers, truck campers, camping trailers, and self‑propelled motor homes, over 23 feet in length, may not be parked on public streets for more than one hour.
• Recreational vehicles under 23 feet can be parked on the street for up to 24 hours.
• Recreational vehicles and equipment must be parked on a hard surface, not in front yards or unpaved areas.
• Recreational vehicles or equipment longer than 18 feet or taller than 7 feet must be parked at least 20 feet back from the curb when stored on a driveway.

Where Can You Legally Store an RV in Rochester?

The city says that these codes and ordinances only pertain to your driveway and front yard, and that 'parking and storage is always permitted within an enclosed structure or in the rear yard,' the release noted.

So what's the reason for these restrictions? The city says RVs parked on the road can 'stop maintenance crews from performing routine work like sweeping or repairs,' which can then slow down neighborhood and street upkeep.

The release went on to say that these standards 'help improve neighborhood traffic safety, street visibility, and overall property condition and value throughout the community,' it said.