Rules are made to be broken. We’ve all heard that statement many times. And yes, we need to break some rules on occasion. However, RV park rules you shouldn’t ignore. These seven rules you’ll find in almost every RV park to keep campers happy and safe. Let’s take a look.
RV Parks Have The Right to Kick You Out for Rule Breaking
When staying in an RV park, you are a guest on someone’s private property, and you need to follow their rules. They ensure that every guest has respect, personal space, and a comfortable place to call home, even if only temporarily.
Think of it this way. Many neighborhoods have homeowner’s associations (HOAs). Because of this, these areas stay quiet, peaceful, comfortable, and safe. RV park rules similarly safeguard your experience while on the property.
Some of the rules might seem restrictive, and some are downright weird, but they protect both you and the property owners. If you choose not to follow the rules, you can get kicked out. And the owners have that right.
7 RV Park Rules You Should Never Break
There are rules within any neighborhood, including RV parks. From quiet hours and being mindful of your dog’s behavior to storage guidelines and hose and tank regulations, these seven RV park rules you should never break.
1. Quiet Hours
Parks will post quiet hours for all guests. And while this rule isn’t explicitly telling you it’s time to go to bed, it means you need to settle down. Turn down or off the music and keep noise to a minimum.
Another big rule of thumb during quiet hours involves the generator. Some campgrounds will have generator-specific hours. Don’t run your generator during quiet time hours, either. They can become loud and obnoxious to other campers.
If you want to party all night, a campground with quiet hours is not the place for you. Find a dispersed campsite with little to no people around you so you won’t disturb others.
Pro Tip: Keep your generator quiet at your campsite with one of these 5 Best Portable Generator Covers to Protect and Muffle Noise.
2. No Leaks Allowed
To keep RV parks safe and clean, you must avoid leaks. This means that when you hook up your hoses to tanks and freshwater be sure nothing leaks from them, such as gray water, freshwater, or sewage. Ensure your tanks also completely seal when hooked up to their hoses. This reduces constant leaks, in turn, reducing smells.
If you know your tanks leak a bit when hooked up to the sewage at your site, keep them closed until it’s time to dump. Better yet, get them fixed so they seal correctly and don’t emit unwanted smells throughout the park.
No leaks allowed also include engine leaks. Be sure you don’t drip oil or any other mechanical fluids onto the ground. This damages the environment and your vehicle.
If you notice a leak, do your best to get it taken care of as soon as possible. And notify the RV park hosts. If they know you’re aware of it and are taking care of it, you’re showing responsibility, and everyone loves to see that.
3. Keeps Dogs On Leash & Pick Up After Them
Keep your pets leashed, even the cats, or pigs, or whatever exotic animals you may travel with. Not everyone loves your animals as much as you do. If they need to curb their energy, find an RV park with an off-leash dog run or take them to a dog park.
The other crucial rule to follow with pets is to pick up after them. No one wants to walk through an RV park and step in a pile of dog poop. It’s simple; clean up after your dog.
Also, be aware of how your pets behave during the day if left alone. If they bark all day long, this can alarm others or get annoying. You may come home to your camper with animal control onsite.
Plus, many campgrounds do not allow you to leave pets unattended. If that is a rule at the RV park you stay at, keep your pet with you everywhere you go.
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4. No Under-RV Storage
Most people do not enjoy rodents and insects as pets, and storing things under your RV can attract those unwanted visitors.
Additionally, under-RV storage is unsightly and unpleasant, taking away from the beauty of the RV park you so meticulously researched. Nobody needs to know what you store, and nobody wants a parade of ants stomping through their kitchen cabinets.
This can also become a fire hazard or cause difficulties if you need to leave quickly. Keep your storage in proper storage compartments, not under the RV.
Pro Tip: Nobody wants to see a cockroach scamper across their RV! If you have unwanted visitors in your RV, This Is How To Get Rid of Cockroaches.
5. Only Park Your Car in Your Designated Space
It’s tempting to use the vacant space next to you to park your car. We get it. It’s always nice having a bigger yard, especially in an RV park with small sites. However, parking in the space next to you instead of your designated spot causes problems.
Contrary to what some may think, RV park owners don’t relish telling their guests that they are doing something wrong. They would much rather have a pleasant conversation over scolding a guest.
Plus, you never know when the next guest will come in. They would also much rather meet their neighbors with a “Hello” instead of an uncomfortable, “Could you move your car?”
Be respectful and use the space assigned to you, and that’s it. If you need more space, ask ahead of time.
6. Never Drive Through Empty Campsites as a Shortcut
Use the designated roads to drive through an RV park and follow the directional signs. They are placed there for a reason. Most times, it prevents additional wear and tear on the roads.
So, don’t do it even if it shortens your drive time to cut through a campsite instead of following the road around. Empty campsites aren’t shortcuts. Doing so can cause damage to the site resulting in increased park fees for everyone.
7. No Walking Through Occupied Campsites
No matter how much easier getting to the shower house is by cutting through your neighbor’s campsite, don’t do it — not even if the site is vacant. It’s not your property, so don’t be on it. Just as you would want your neighbors and the owners to respect your space, you should do the same with theirs.
Most RV parks will have roadways and pathways for walking to community use areas. Use those. Walk on the paths provided for you. You wouldn’t walk through your neighbor’s yard in a traditional home setting, so don’t do it at an RV park, either.
Want Fewer Rules? Try Boondocking
If you’re not a fan of all the rules that RV parks have in place, then don’t stay in RV parks. Try boondocking instead. Boondocking is camping without hookups, most often on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands, and usually in remote settings.
And while boondocking has fewer rules, you’ll still have some important ones to follow. Some of the most common include stay limits, burn bans, no dumping, and camping in designated spots.
→ Fewer rules doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Know the 9 Boondocking Rules You Should Never Break
Stay limits are most common. Much of the BLM lands have a 14-day stay limit, designating how long you can stay in one spot at one time.
It is tempting to stay longer when in beautiful places, especially when you can do so for free. Careful, though, that free stay could become very expensive. Rangers do check, and you can get ticketed for overstaying.
Additionally, many boondocking sites close due to people not taking care of the land. You won’t find many amenities such as trash pickup, toilets, or dump stations when boondocking. What you bring in, you must take out.
Leave no trash, dump no wastewater. And this includes food trash. Pick up all food droppings that you may have left behind, as well. Just as in the RV park, you don’t need unwanted house guests like rodents or insects.
Another common, often unwritten rule of boondocking is to camp in designated spaces. While some boondocking places don’t have specific spots, most do. Our love of the land and free camping doesn’t mean we can go wherever we want.
So whenever possible, camp in designated spaces. This creates less impact on the environment, keeping it open and available to many people for continued use in the future.
If You Don’t Like the Rules, You Can Always Leave
If you don’t like RV park rules, you can always leave. But be prepared — you’ll have regulations wherever you go, even in the most remote areas. These may be unposted, but know that they still exist.
And if we don’t follow the rules of camping, in RV parks or boondocking, our seemingly endless choices will become limited. In the end, no matter where you set up, follow the guidelines, be respectful, and have fun.
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