Parking and Storage of Recreational Vehicles/Trailers

RV & Trailer Storage at a Glance

  • The Rule: Per Article III, Section 10, all RVs, trailers, and boats must be stored inside a garage or at the rear of the lot, fully screened from street and neighbor view.
  • The Process: Any outdoor storage requires an approved Property Improvement Request (PIR) before the vehicle is moved onto the lot.
  • Note: Canvas covers and tarps are not acceptable screening; permanent opaque fencing or approved landscaping is required.
  • Temporary Use: Driveway parking is for active loading/unloading only and is not permitted for multiple days.

Parking and storage of Recreational Vehicles (RVs), utility trailers, boats and similar mobile equipment in Discovery is governed not only by the City of Colorado Springs, but also by our covenants.  City ordinances are public, legal regulations enforced by local government. Covenants are private, binding agreements between property owners that control property use. As a covenant community, we all agreed to abide by the Discovery covenants as a condition of ownership here. Covenants can be more restrictive than City ordinances, and if so, the stricter covenant usually controls although it cannot supersede public law.

 City Ordinance 9.6.504 allows recreational vehicles and trailers of any kind to be parked/stored in the side or rear yard when possible but prohibits connection of "permanent" utilities to vehicles stored outside the garage. Driveway parking is allowed only when inside parking (garage) or side or rear yard parking is not possible, and then only if the body of the RV or trailer is at least ten feet (10') from the edge of the sidewalk closest to the curb. However, our Discovery covenants are a little more restrictive. 

Article III, Section 10 of our covenants specify that if your RV, trailer, boat or other similar mobile equipment is stored on your lot, it "...shall be stored inside the garage or otherwise stored at the rear of the lot out of sight of the street and screened from the view of other lots." Thus, if you wish to store such equipment outside your garage, you must first receive approval from the Discovery HOA Board, to include how you would propose to screen it from view.  While the City ordinance states a screen may consist of any combination of opaque fencing, vegetation, natural features or structures, our covenants leave the determination of appropriate screening to the total discretion of our Board. Homeowners request outside parking and the associated required screening by submitting a Property Improvement Request to the Architectural Review Committee.

Driveway parking is only allowed in Discovery for temporary parking while loading, unloading or cleaning RVs, trailers and other mobile equipment. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY CAN REMAIN IN "LOADING" OR "UNLOADING" STATUS FOR EXTENDED PERIODS! In those instances, we do expect compliance with the City ordinance regarding distance from the sidewalk/curb and the prohibition of attachment of utilities except when in active use.