It's Illegal to Live in an RV on Your Property in These US States

Summary

It's Illegal To Live In An RV On Your Property In These US States Or Images/Getty Remember when the American Dream was a white picket fence and a house in the suburbs? Not these days. Skyrocketing housing prices, student loan debt, and a desire to stick it to the man have led many to choose alternatives like tiny homes, custom-built camper vans, and RVs. RV living can offer more freedom, a less cluttered, minimalist lifestyle, and a chance to break free from the tethers of a 30-year mortgage and the tyranny of the Homeowners Association. All of which has led to growing appeal amongst younger digital nomads. Unfortunately, though, some states have a problem with folks choosing to set up their RV on private land and call it a permanent home. The issue usually isn't whether or not you own the RV or the land. The issue is zoning, and if the governing body considers an RV a dwelling. Even if you own several quiet acres, the local zoning laws may not consider RVs permanent dwellings or allow people living in any structure not connected to public utilities. Health and safety codes may have sewage requirements and square footage minimums, leaving even large, luxurious modern RVs with their solar generators and fancy composting toilets off the list. States that make it tough or impossible to choose RV life Cavan-Images/Shutterstock There isn't a federal law that bans RV living, but some states have extremely tight restrictions that make it much harder or outright illegal. The states that have said "absolutely not" to permanently living in an RV are Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, and Delaware. In most every other state, it's going to come down to the individual laws of the county and sometimes even the city you're in. Wherever there are laws, there are loopholes, and there are a lot of creative ways to be technically in compliance. Some folks are working around the laws limiting how long you can stay in one place by shuffling around periodically, kinda like couch-surfing on a lar...