A boat and RV storage facility is mostly pavement and roof: rows of open steel canopies or enclosed bays tall enough for a motorhome, set along drive aisles wide enough to back a trailer into a space. It is built to rent to other people, which makes it a commercial project, and several city codes read for this site list outdoor boat and RV storage as its own use or allow it in fewer districts than enclosed self storage.
Read the rest of the introduction
This page is about that facility, not a garage for your own RV.
Step 8 of 10: Driveway access
- 01 Land and zoning
- 02 Special use permit
- 03 Plat
- 04 Site plan
- 05 TDLR review
- 06 Aquifer plan
- 07 Stormwater
- 08 Driveway access
- 09 Building permit
- 10 Occupancy
TxDOT says commercial driveway width and turning radius depend on the traffic and the location, and the parts of the driveway in the right of way have to stay inside the owner's frontage. For a site taking motorhomes, the frontage can decide where the gate goes.
SourceTexas Department of Transportation, Access Management Manual, Chapter 2, Section 4: Driveway Permits, Design, and Materials, read 2026-09-23.
Covered canopy or enclosed bay: what is the difference in the building?
A canopy is a roof on columns, with no walls or with a wall along the back only. It is the least building a vehicle storage space can have, and it leaves the site plan to do most of the work. An enclosed bay is a full building with a tall roll-up door on each space, which means wall panels and a door package sized for the largest vehicle you intend to take.
The two can be mixed on one site, for example enclosed bays along the frontage and canopies behind. The covered or enclosed guide sets the two side by side with the published cost figures for each.
Exhibit APublished national hard cost per gross square foot, vehicle storage (Terrapin, May 2026)
| Product | Hard cost per gross sq ft |
|---|---|
| Covered boat and RV | $25 to $55 |
| Enclosed boat and RV | $65 to $95 |
| Indoor climate-controlled boat | $90 to $140 |
SourceTerrapin Construction Group, self storage construction cost article, updated May 2026, read 2026-09-23.
Why the site plan matters more here than the building
A motorhome or a boat on a trailer needs room to turn and back in. That sets the drive aisle width and the depth of each space, and both are set before the building is drawn. Some cities set their own floor: New Braunfels requires drive aisles in the storage area at least 24 feet wide.
The same pavement drives the drainage design, because a vehicle storage site is close to fully covered by roof and paving. On the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, the rule requires permanent best management practices that remove 80 percent of the increase in total suspended solids the development causes. The aquifer and stormwater guide covers both.
SourcesTexas Administrative Code, 30 TAC 213, Sec. 213.5(b)(4)(D)(ii), read 2026-09-23; City of New Braunfels, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 144 Zoning, Secs. 144-1.4 and 144-5.1, read 2026-09-23.
Where boat and RV storage fits in these three regions
Canyon Lake and Medina Lake sit in the San Antonio region, Lake Travis in the Austin region, and Burnet County reaches the Highland Lakes in the Hill Country. Much land near a lake is outside city limits, where Chapter 231 of the Local Government Code allows county zoning only in named areas that include certain lakes, so ask the county whether a special provision reaches the land.
Whether a particular city allows open vehicle storage, allows it only behind a screen, or treats it as a separate use from self storage is a code-by-code answer. The zoning guide prints it for each city read, with the section number.
SourceChapter 231 was read; it grants counties no general zoning power. Texas Legislature, Local Government Code Chapter 231 (all subchapters A through M read), read 2026-09-23.
What RV storage builders need to price it
Enough to size the spaces and the aisles before anything is drawn.
Where the land is and the acreage for the first phase.
The split between canopy, enclosed and open spaces you have in mind.
The largest vehicle you intend to take: a bass boat on a trailer and a 45-foot motorhome need different door heights and different aisles.
Whether the site has frontage on a state highway, a county road or a city street.
Questions about boat and RV storage buildings in Texas
Is RV storage the same zoning use as self storage?
Not in every city. Several of the codes read for this site list outdoor boat and RV storage as its own use or allow it in fewer districts than enclosed storage, and the answer is on the zoning guide city by city.
What does covered RV storage cost to build?
Terrapin Construction Group publishes $25 to $55 per gross square foot for covered boat and RV storage and $65 to $95 for enclosed, as May 2026 national hard-cost benchmarks that exclude land, soft costs, and furniture, fixtures and equipment.
Is this page about a garage for my own RV?
No. This page is about a facility built to rent spaces to other people. A private RV garage is a different project.
Six questions, no cost to ask
Price boat and RV storage buildings
Where the land is tells a contractor which zoning code and which permit office the project answers to. The product and the timing tell them what to price first.
Last reviewed 2026-09-23.