You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here: Some Texas cities ban “permanent” residencies in RV parks
In January 2021, the City Council of Marble Falls, Texas considered adopting regulations to ensure that RV parks don’t shift into being partially or wholly used as permanent residences.
While some RV parks operate like hotels or motels—serving transient guests that stay for a few days or weeks, other RV parks operate like apartment complexes—offering written leases to tenants for several months or annual terms.
Regulation of RV parks varies by municipalities. Several cities in Texas have bans on “permanent” residencies in RV parks. For example, the City of Dayton adopted an ordinance in 2019 that prohibits the use of RVs in RV parks as permanent residences, defined as occupancy for three consecutive months:
No RV park or recreational vehicle therein shall be used as a permanent residence for any period of time . . . except for permanent full-time employees of the RV park. No more than one space shall be allowed for use as a permanent residence for full-time employees. Occupancy or parking of a recreational vehicle within the RV park extending beyond three consecutive months in any 12-month period shall be presumed permanent occupancy and is hereby prohibited.[1]
The City of Bastrop has an ordinance that prohibits the use of RVs in RV parks as “permanent” residences, defined as occupancy for six months in any twelve-month period:
No RV park or recreational vehicle therein shall be used as a permanent residence for any period of time, except for permanent full-time employees of the RV park. Occupancy or parking of a recreational vehicle within the RV park extending beyond six (6) months in any twelve-month period shall be presumed permanent occupancy. (For example, staying in the park for three (3) months, leaving for one month, and returning for three (3) months is six (6) months of occupancy.) After six (6) months of occupancy, the recreational vehicle must leave the park and cannot return until six (6) months have passed.[2]
The cities of Cleveland, Simonton, Temple, and Vidor also have bans on “permanent” residencies in RV parks. The specific restrictions of these regulations, and their definitions of “recreational vehicle,” vary.
Not all cities in Texas prohibit permanent residencies in RV parks. In the City of Austin, for example, RV parks “shall be operated in conformity with state law relating to hotels” whether or not the RV park guests are transient or permanent.[3]
Because municipal regulation of RV parks varies across the state, it is imperative to consult your local ordinances.
[1] Dayton Ordinance, https://library.municode.com/tx/dayton/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH4BUCO_ART4.1400REVEPA.
[2] Bastrop Ordinance, https://library.municode.com/tx/bastrop/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH3BURE_ART3.19REVEPA_DIV1GE_S3.19.004LI.
[3] Austin Ordinance, https://library.municode.com/tx/austin/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT25LADE_CH25-2ZO_SUBCHAPTER_CUSDERE_ART14MOHOTOTRCA.