Can I park an RV, boat or trailer at my house in Baytown?

Short answer: In your front yard, only on a paved surface, never on the grass. On the street, generally no, with narrow exceptions for a few hours or while loading.

In the front yard

Baytown bans parking or storing any vehicle, trailer, RV, boat, golf cart, ATV or personal watercraft in the front yard of a house or duplex unless every wheel is on an "improved surface": concrete, brick, pavers, asphalt or something equivalent, running continuously from the street or curb. The lawn doesn't count. A gravel pad doesn't count either, unless it was in place before March 23, 2008 and the chief building official accepts it as an all-weather surface.

The "front yard" includes the strip between your property line and the street. On a corner lot, it also includes the side yard that faces the street, back to the rear property line.

The paved parking area in a front yard can't be wider than 25 feet or half the lot's average width, whichever is greater.

There is a narrow defense for lots already at their maximum lot coverage where street parking isn't enough (Sec. 94-189(e)).

Rule: City Code Sec. 94-189.

On the street

• RVs: not allowed on a public street, occupied or not, except for less than six hours, and only if the RV is currently licensed for highway travel, the street is wide enough, no driveway exits or conflicts across the street from the parking spot, and the RV has adequate reflective devices on the street side.
• Trailers (including boat and utility trailers): not allowed on a public street except between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. while being loaded or unloaded or while the equipment is in use, with the same license, street-width, across-the-street driveway and reflector conditions.
• Big commercial vehicles (a manufacturer's gross vehicle or combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, or carrying placarded hazardous materials): not on a public street, except while quickly loading or unloading passengers, freight or merchandise. It's the weight rating that counts, not what the truck weighs that day, and a truck pulling a heavy trailer can reach it. A typical pickup or van on its own doesn't.
• Repairs: you can't park on the street to repair or service a vehicle. It's a defense if the repair was needed because of an emergency or breakdown and the vehicle was parked for less than 48 hours.

"Public street" includes the curb, shoulder and right-of-way. Rules: City Code Sec. 94-182; definitions in Sec. 94-1 and Sec. 58-1.

Side and back yards

The city code above covers only front yards and streets. Storage of RVs, boats and trailers in side and back yards is governed by the city's Unified Land Development Code. Ask Planning and Development Services before you rely on it. HOA and deed restrictions may be stricter.

What happens if you don't

Police can have an illegally parked vehicle removed at the owner's expense, and can remove a vehicle or boat that an officer finds is a traffic hazard on a public street (Sec. 94-152). Traffic-chapter violations without their own penalty carry a fine of up to $200 (Sec. 94-2).

Who to call

Baytown Police Department for street parking. Planning and Development Services for front-yard and storage rules. The Health Department also shares enforcement of the front-yard rule (Sec. 94-189).

Outside city limits

The city's rules don't apply in unincorporated Harris or Chambers County. Counties don't zone residential lots, so your deed restrictions or HOA rules are what count there.

Sources

• City of Baytown Code of Ordinances, Sec. 94-189 (parking on front yards), Sec. 94-182 (vehicles prohibited on public streets), Sec. 94-1 and 58-1 (definitions), Sec. 94-152 (removal), Sec. 94-2 (penalty). library.municode.com/tx/baytown

En español

En Baytown no se puede estacionar un vehículo, remolque, RV, bote o carrito de golf en el jardín delantero si las llantas no están sobre una superficie pavimentada (concreto, ladrillo, adoquín o asfalto); el césped y la grava no cuentan. Una plataforma de grava solo cuenta si ya existía antes del 23 de marzo de 2008 y la ciudad la acepta. En la calle, los RV no se permiten salvo por menos de seis horas y con ciertas condiciones, y los remolques solo de 7 a.m. a 9 p.m. mientras se cargan o descargan. Los vehículos comerciales grandes (con capacidad de peso de fábrica de 26,001 libras o más) no pueden estacionarse en la calle, salvo para cargar o descargar rápidamente. Para patios laterales y traseros, consulte a Planeación y Desarrollo.