The call of the road is pretty persuasive.  With the luxury of today's RV's, answering the call of the road in your own backyard can be pretty tempting.  Sometimes, setting an RV up on property you own to live in until you can construct a permanent dwelling seems like a great option.

Local government officials often have a totally different idea.

Believe it or not, in many places you simply cannot set up an RV even  on your own property.  What about San Angelo? San Angelo has strict rules.  According to the City of San Angelo code:

The planning director may authorize one or more manufactured homes, mobile homes, or recreational vehicles or other construction accommodation reasonably necessary to a construction site to be temporarily installed.  So, if you want to put an RV on your property while you construct a permanent dwelling, you can apply for a permit.

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Like any application process the permit may be denied. Back in 2014 when the city council debated allowing a permit for a property owner to place an RV on their property while the owner constructed a permanent residence, San Angelo City Council member Winkie Wardlaw spoke emphatically about the topic.

"I just want to let the record show that I am totally against this".  He pointed out that city ordinances at the time didn't allow for mobile homes or RVs in residential neighborhoods, period.  The councilman says once a permit is issued for a year, sometimes they just stay there.

Even if a permit is to be considered, there are tons of requirements.  No RV can be placed on a site until a building permit is issued for the related construction. The temporary shelter must meet all state safety standards including being security fixed to a permanent foundation.

Low angle view of a signboard, City Hall, California, USA
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Otherwise, you have to take your RV to an approved and properly-zones Campground/RV park and those are carefully regulated with pages of specifications.

Not sure we would want to live in a city where any Tom, Dick, or Harry could throw up an RV right next to your perfectly maintained residential home. Neighborhoods should have some pride.  So I can see the need for two sides on this issue.

Photo by Keagan Henman on Unsplash
Photo by Keagan Henman on Unsplash
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So the short answer is "no" you cannot live in an RV on your own property in San Angelo, asterisk without a lot of red tape.  Once you're outside the city limits, it might be a whole other issue. Looking a quick look at the county regulations, they look almost as complicated. They might just be complicated enough to warrant another long story post.

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