Camground & Parks Restrictions on Length & Age of RV

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ppet

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At various times, I've read that there are restrictions on the age and/or length of an RV allowed in campgrounds and parks.  Does this happen very often???  Also, when restrictions are listed, are they strictly enforced???

We are considering a used Tiffin Allegro 36LA which is about 36 feet.  I am trying very hard to make a good RV choice so that when we buy, we can keep it for years.  So while age may not be a factor early on, it could at some point in the future if we keep it long enough (hopefully).

So basically my question regarding campgrounds and restrictions, should age and length be a consideration as we review purchase options???
 
The only time I have heard about an age restriction is on this forum, and I wouldn't spend money in such a place.


Length is common, especially in state and national parks due to site restrictions.
 
It seems to me that some parks have a rule on age just so that if you come in with a beat-up looking RV that they will have the grounds to refuse service, since it is more difficult to measure how beat-up it looks whereas age is easy to measure.  As for length, this link and others seems to put the breakpoint at 35'.  I am not sure I would limit myself from getting a 36' RV since there are plenty of places that would be fine and, if not, then perhaps there is a place outside of a park where you could also park.  First and foremost you need you like your floorplan.
 
The parks use age as a cover up for condition. If you drive in to a campground with age restrictions in a 1980s Prevost in cherry condition you will not be turned down. If you drive in with any RV with duck tape and spray paint on the outside they won't let you in. It is pretty uncommon to find parks with restrictions except in California. The reason parks restrict the broken down looking RVs is that there are people that buy an old broken down RV and stay at a park for a month and then stop paying rent. California laws make it very difficult to evict someone for non payment. All the laws favor the renter. So after six months of living for free when they finally get evicted they move on to the next park. That way they pay only two months rent per year. It is just like a hobo walking into the Beverly Wilshire and trying to get a room. Won't happen.
 
There is no magical size limit. Some campgrounds have a 20' limit while others are 65'. You just look for a campground that has sites that will fit your setup. There is always an alternative campground if your first choice is not appropriate.
 
I agree with most of the prior comments. When we owned a 29 foot motorhome, we never had a length issue. Even state/regional parks that had a lower limit allowed us to "overhang" the grass beyond a shorter site.

Since owning our 38 foot motorhome, we've had to be a little more selective in choice of campground. Specifically, most California state parks can't accommodate us. (Too bad, because we spent many nights at such parks.) OTOH Oregon state parks have sites that are longer than you'll ever need (some have 80+ feet sites).

We've been asked a few times in the last few years about the age of our coach. When I say "it's a 2003 coach that we bought new in 2004", there's no further discussion. We're fortunate that our coach has full body paint, which looks really nice, if they decided to check it out. If we had a fiberglass/gelcoat finish, it would require a lot more work to keep it looking pristine (we've owned fiberglass boats for many years, so we know what it takes).
 
Some private Campgrounds say "No RV's Over 10 Years old (or some other arbartary number) I consider that if these campgrounds are so busy they need to turn folks away just because they have a BEATUIFUL well maintained 25 year old Blue Bird (Friend of mine) They shure don't need MY business.

Some say "No RV's over xx Feet" This is usually due to tight corners or small sites and I'd respect those limits..  Some of 'em I fit in.. Some I don't. but I don't fault them for the warning.
 
We recently stayed at a place where we've stayed many times over the years and they asked the motorhome's age when we called to make a reservation.  This place has evolved from being a campground to being a resort with privately owned parcels.  The site owners don't want to look out their windows at junkers and avoid a lot of hassles with the 10-year rule.  We sent a photo and got our reservation by email within minutes, so the office was satisfied.  It's private property and they have a right to make rules as they see fit.  Like everywhere else you can vote with your wallet and stay away.

Length is another issue altogether.  Sometimes there are so many trees that a larger RV can't make it to the campsite, so they want to make sure they don't have people knocking down trees and hitting overhanging branches on their way to the campsite.  This tends to be more of an issue in older campgrounds that were built before our larger motorhomes.  Thirty years ago we were driving 20' motorhomes that also weren't as wide as the ones today.  Also, there might be a big tree right at the rear of your site so the length restriction is what it is.  Perusing the campground directory can help you figure out some of the length restrictions because each campground states any length restrictions.

ArdraF
 
I was looking at a Campground website in the Florida Keys.  They have a rule that requires campers to be at least 24' in length.  No popups or tent campers welcome.  They were wanting over $100 per night. 
 
The only place I have encountered with the 10 year rule was the Oasis RV Resort in Las Vegas. Even though they had the rule in place, we saw lots of older rvs there. They were all in good condition, yet lots were nothing fancy. Im sure they just dont want an eyesore mixed in with all the high end coaches, of which they were a lot. Im sure the cost per night would eliminate most unkept rvs. This particular resort is near downtown Vegas, and you pay for that.
 
Thank you all!  This is very helpful!

So in general it seems like for safety reasons, one should abide by any length restrictions and that there are other options available for larger RVs.

The 10 year "rule" is just to keep Cousin Eddy from staying at the campground or park! 
 
And in my experience, these rules about age NEVER apply to state or federal campgrounds.  In most cases in these public campgrounds, you can make reservations ahead of time and select the site you want based on the size.  And most state and federal campgrounds have sites varying from 20 to 85 feet. 
 
Don't always trust the measurements given for sites, either. We tried staying in a state park near Laramie because they had 65' sites. I'm not sure what they used to measure these sites but they were less than 40' overall. It took some very creative maneuvering to get my 40' trailer out of there and back on the road.
 
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