RV Living Rules by County
One of the most common land questions we get is:
“Can I put my RV on the property?”
The annoying answer is also the correct one:
It depends on the exact parcel.
Florida doesn't have one simple county-by-county rule saying everybody with vacant land can live in an RV.
County matters. City limits matter. Zoning matters. The length of stay matters. Sanitation matters. Sometimes lot size matters too.
This is also why we make zoning one of the first checks in our bigger [[How to Buy Land in Florida]] due-diligence process.
Here are a few places where Paradise Parcels commonly looks at land and what the current rules say as of September 2026.
Putnam County
Putnam is a good example of why “RVs aren't allowed” can be just as misleading as “RVs are allowed.”
The county's current guidance allows certain temporary visits in residential zoning districts without a Temporary Use Permit.
For residential districts including RE, R-1, R-1A, R-1HA, R-2, R-2HA and RMH, the county guidance says a temporary visit can generally be up to 14 consecutive days or 120 nonconsecutive days in a calendar year, subject to conditions.
That is temporary use.
It is not permission to turn an RV into a permanent house.
The county also has Temporary Use Permit provisions for situations such as land clearing, active home construction and certain extreme hardships.
Agricultural zoning can have different temporary-visit rules, so we never assume the residential limits apply to every Putnam parcel.
You can also read our broaderfor more local context.
Putnam County
Washington County
Washington County's code is different.
Its Land Development Code generally restricts using RVs for residential purposes except under situations specifically allowed by the code.
One of those situations is temporary recreational use on private property.
The county currently allows that use for up to four months, or 120 days, during a calendar year.
Washington County also provides for temporary RV occupancy while an approved residential dwelling is being built, subject to the county's requirements.
Again, that's not the same thing as simply moving onto a vacant parcel indefinitely.
Washington County
Unincorporated Sarasota County
Now let's jump down to Southwest Florida.
Sarasota County's guidance treats RV storage differently from living or sleeping in one.
So if a property is actually in unincorporated Sarasota County, don't automatically apply North Port's city rules to it.
Which brings us to…
City of North Port
North Port is exactly why old blog posts can cause trouble.
The city's current code has a specific section covering “lodging out-of-doors.”
In many situations a permit is required.
There is also an exception for certain qualifying undeveloped private property when all of the city's conditions are met.
That's quite a bit different from a blanket statement that “North Port doesn't let you camp.”
Sarasota County / North Port
Don't forget the seller's financing rules
There's one other layer buyers sometimes miss.
Even if a county allows a temporary use, your financing agreement may restrict what you can do before the land is fully paid off.
Local land-use rules and your purchase contract are two separate things.
The part that matters most
Please don't buy land because somebody wrote “RV OK” in a Marketplace description.
Ask for the parcel number.
Check whether it is in a city or the county.
Confirm the zoning.
Then read the rule that applies to that property and the way you want to use it.
Rules change too. North Port is proof of that.
If you're brand new to due diligence, walks through the rest of our checklist, including access, title, wetlands, utilities and sold comps.
At Paradise Parcels, we don't want to sell somebody a piece of land based on a five-year-old answer copied from another seller.
Tell us what you're hoping to do with a property and we'll tell you what we know, and when something needs to be verified with the city or county before you make plans.
You can browse our Current Inventory here when you're ready to see what's available.