Austin accessory uses: parking, RVs, sheds and what else a house may have

Last verified August 6, 2026 against the Austin Land Development Code · Kimbrough Gray · KiliGray Homes

A house may store 1 motor vehicle per licensed driver residing there — though a private garage for up to 4 is permitted regardless — plus up to 2 screened antique or recreational vehicles and no more than 1 commercial vehicle.

Applies to: Accessory uses where the principal use is residential, including limits on vehicle storage, a list of permitted accessory uses, and the rules for docks. Home occupations, residential tours and garage sales are each governed by their own separate sections that this one points to.

How many vehicles you may keep — and the garage override

§25-2-893(B)(1) sets a rule people find surprising: not more than one motor vehicle for each licensed driver residing on the premises may be stored there. Two licensed drivers, two vehicles.

But read (B)(2), which opens "Notwithstanding the limitation of Subsection (B)(1)": a private garage for the storage of not more than four motor vehicles is permitted.

That is an override, not a cap. A household with one licensed driver may still keep four vehicles in a garage. What the driver-count rule governs is vehicles stored in the open.

Two hard limits regardless. §25-2-893(B)(3): a motor vehicle of one ton capacity or greater is prohibited — except an antique or recreational vehicle. And (B)(4): not more than one commercial vehicle may be stored on the premises. Note that if you are running a home occupation, §25-2-900(H) prohibits parking a commercial vehicle there at all.

RVs, boats and antique vehicles: two, and screened

§25-2-893(B)(7) is the provision people want. Up to two vehicles that are either antique or recreational may be stored on the premises, provided the storage area:

is not a health hazard; and
is either in an enclosed building, or screened from public view with a solid wood or masonry fence at least six feet high.

Six feet of solid fence is exactly what §25-2-899(D) permits along a property line without any further justification — so the two provisions line up. Note the screening must be solid wood or masonry: an ornamental fence, however tall, does not screen for this purpose.

These two also sit outside the one-ton prohibition, which is what makes keeping a motorhome or a large boat trailer possible at all.

What counts as an inoperable vehicle

§25-2-893(B)(5) prohibits storing an inoperable motor vehicle on an adjacent public right-of-way — the street, not your driveway — and defines "inoperable" mechanically. A vehicle is inoperable if, for more than 72 hours, it:

has no license plates, or plates expired more than 90 days;
has no safety inspection sticker, or one expired more than 90 days; or
cannot be started or legally operated in a public right-of-way.

Two exceptions in (B)(6). An antique or recreational vehicle stored at an owner's residence is exempt. So is a vehicle under repair for less than 60 days — but only if not more than one other vehicle is also under repair. Two projects at once is the ceiling, and each has a two-month clock.

What else a house may have as an accessory use

§25-2-893(C) lists them, and it is broader than people assume:

recreational activities and facilities for use by residents;
religious study meetings;
playhouses, patios, cabanas, porches, gazebos and household storage buildings;
radio and television antennas and satellite dishes;
solar collectors;
home occupations complying with §25-2-900;
on-site sales under the residential tours or garage sales sections;
keeping dogs, cats and similar small animals as household pets; and
child care services (limited).

These are use permissions. A gazebo or storage building is a permitted accessory use, but it still has to satisfy setbacks, impervious cover and — if over one story or 15 feet — the full rear setback rather than the five-foot accessory allowance.

Garage sales: four days a year

§25-2-893(C)(7) permits on-site sales as an accessory use, and §25-2-903 sets the terms. The limit is stricter than almost anyone assumes:

A garage sale may not be held at the same property more than four days per calendar year.

Not four sales — four days. A two-day sale in spring and another in autumn uses the whole allowance.

The definition is broad in one direction and narrow in another. It covers yard sales, carport sales and similar, and includes the production and incidental sale of artwork by the person who made it — so an artist selling their own work is within it. But it must be conducted entirely on a property used as the seller's principal residence, and it covers used or secondhand tangible property customarily found at a residence. Selling new stock bought for resale is not a garage sale.

One exclusion: a garage sale may not be held at a property participating in a residential tour under §25-2-902 — an organized event opening multiple homes to the public, which is separately permitted as an accessory use.

Docks may not have living space. §25-2-893(E) permits a dock as an accessory use, and it may be located off-site — but it may not include habitable space or living quarters, nor space conditioning, sinks, toilets, or wastewater or potable water connections. Permitted appurtenances are a storage closet, a roof, a second floor, marine lockers, railings, and a non-potable water pump and hose bib. A boathouse with a bathroom is not a dock.

Multifamily gets one extra: the residential convenience service

§25-2-893(D) permits a residential convenience service where the principal use is multifamily or a mobile home park. It is defined tightly — a commercial use that:

is operated as an integral part of the principal use;
is not identifiable from outside the site; and
is intended to be patronised solely by the residents.

A café or shop inside an apartment complex serving its own residents, invisible from the street. Anything trading to the public is a different use requiring different zoning.

What comes up most

The RV question, constantly. Two is the number, and the screening requirement is the part people miss — a six-foot solid wood or masonry fence, or an enclosed building. Parking a motorhome openly on the driveway is not within the allowance.

The garage override is worth knowing when a client with a car collection is told they can only keep as many vehicles as there are drivers. Four in a garage is permitted whatever the household looks like.

And the backyard structure list is more permissive than clients expect — gazebos, cabanas, storage buildings and playhouses are all permitted uses. The constraint is almost never whether you may have one; it is impervious cover and the setbacks, which is where those projects actually get trimmed.

Common questions

How many cars can I park at my house in Austin?

One per licensed driver residing on the premises — but a private garage for up to four motor vehicles is permitted regardless, since §25-2-893(B)(2) overrides the driver-count limit.

Can I park an RV at my house in Austin?

Yes, up to two antique or recreational vehicles, provided the storage area is not a health hazard and is either in an enclosed building or screened from public view by a solid wood or masonry fence at least six feet high.

Can I keep a work truck at my Austin home?

Not more than one commercial vehicle may be stored on the premises, and a vehicle of one ton capacity or more is prohibited unless it is an antique or recreational vehicle. If you run a home occupation, commercial vehicle parking is prohibited entirely.

What is an inoperable vehicle in Austin?

One that, for more than 72 hours, has no plates or plates expired over 90 days, no inspection sticker or one expired over 90 days, or cannot be started or legally operated. Storing one on the adjacent public right-of-way is prohibited.

How long can I have a car under repair at my Austin house?

Less than 60 days, and only if not more than one other vehicle is also under repair.

Can I build a gazebo or shed in my Austin back garden?

Yes — playhouses, patios, cabanas, porches, gazebos and household storage buildings are permitted accessory uses. They still have to meet setbacks and impervious cover limits.

Can an Austin dock have a bathroom?

No. A dock may not include habitable space, living quarters, space conditioning, sinks, toilets, or wastewater or potable water connections.

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We are homebuilders, not the City of Austin. This page explains how we read the code in practice — it is not legal advice and it is not an official determination. Always confirm with Austin Development Services before you rely on it for a project. The authoritative text is the Austin Land Development Code; permitting questions go to Austin Development Services Department.