And while they`re great for traveling, what happens if you get home? Can you still live in a motorhome if it`s in your backyard? It must be, must it not? It`s your own garden. But the answer might surprise you. The motorhome can then be used as an extension of the owner`s house. Since RVs are essentially houses on wheels, they offer some freedom of travel. While these restrictions aren`t too hard to follow, some states allow you to temporarily park your RV in your backyard. However, you usually can`t use it as your primary residence. Permit requirements vary from place to place and are usually dealt with at the county level, although municipal ordinances and local HOA agreements may affect your ability to live full-time in your RV. You should also keep in mind that if you park your RV in a residential area, you may be violating local zoning laws. This means you can be fined or even arrested. Here are the steps you need to live full-time in your RV while living comfortably on the right side of the law. This list may seem complicated, especially if you are used to renting or owning a home that is already finished on the real estate market. While you may not need a full building permit to live full-time in your RV, in many cases you will need to install an approved well and/or septic tank.

When you find a city or state that allows you to buy land for this purpose, the next step is to find a nice place. Often, people choose a remote area to live a different life than they lived before. However, this comes with risks and challenges that people don`t easily overcome. Whether you`re looking to change a dramatic life or stop paying rent, it`s essential to know where to live in an RV. From what we found, many states are extremely welcoming and accommodating. That`s because in most states, an RV is not considered permanent residence. Instead, he is considered a follower. Each state has its own laws around sleeping in your vehicle, and while one state may allow you to sleep in a certain area, others cannot. For example, rest areas are usually acceptable places to sleep in your van overnight, but it`s illegal in California. Overall, most cities have zoning laws that prevent you from legally living in an RV or RV for long periods of time. Zoning legislation usually only allows a certain amount of time to give you enough time to establish a more permanent residence. In general, states with large open spaces like eastern Washington, Nevada, and all the others on the list above make it easy to find a cheaper package that allows you to legally park your RV for extended periods of time.

More space generally corresponds to less restrictive zoning and use laws. And also more affordable land options. Usually, a motorhome has a kitchen, a bathroom and a place to sleep. They are designed as tiny houses where you can travel. But while I love living in a pickup truck and recommending the experience to everyone every chance I get, the question remains: is living in a van legal? Over the past two years, I have known that the different authorities in their respective countries see things differently, but the issue of sleep in the vehicle has always been a bit grey. Do people care? Well, it depends on how clean you are and whether you annoy the residents of the surrounding houses (or if they wake up on the wrong side of the bed). I lived in my vehicle in a city for 13 months while working in a previous job, and no one blinked. People even said hello and came for a cup of tea! When it comes to sleeping in your van, each city and state has different rules. I always do research ahead of time to make sure I don`t break laws. For example, in San Francisco, it is illegal to sleep in your vehicle between 10 p.m.

and 6 a.m. And just because you find a place on, say, iOverlander, where someone says it`s cool to stay, doesn`t mean it`s always legal. Some states and counties may allow you to live full-time in an RV, though you may need to move and buy land in places where you can do so. Look at mobile home parks and those where you can buy land for this purpose. In some areas, you can park there long-term, as long as you move the camper several times for a few days and you know the lawyer for traffic violations, you can claim an RV as your primary residence. Depending on where you travel and where you decide to park your van for the night, it is not illegal to sleep in your van! Just make sure you`re not unauthorized, don`t park on private property, or cause disruption, otherwise you could end up with a ticket or have your van towed. There is certainly a “grey area” in many situations when it comes to sleeping legally in your vehicle. For example, many communities have decided that they cannot simply arrest people for homelessness. So, while laws may say that sleeping in a vehicle is illegal, enforcing those laws is actually more lenient than that. As with most forms of RV life, you should be wary of local zoning and use laws. Unless your city or county specifically prohibits living in an RV, it`s probably possible to legally park your RV on another lot, as long as you have permission from the owner.

That`s why you`ll see a lot of people living with full-time campers. However, only a complaint from a neighbour can claim an RV as a principal residence. We all love to live the life of a van and travel in a van, but is living in a van legal in the eyes of the law? Thanks to our favorite Van Life influencers and the deliciously addictive content in our Van Life Instagram feeds, more and more people are throwing out the rulebook and trying an alternative life. Or the other main “gray area” is parking in a place that does not explicitly prohibit or allow overnight stays.