RV Storage in Ontario: Costs, Rules and What to Ask

Why your driveway may not be an option

Whether you can keep an RV or travel trailer at home in Ontario depends entirely on your municipal bylaw, and in some towns the answer is no, at least for part of the year.

Georgina, on the south shore of Lake Simcoe, is a good example of how strict these rules can get. The town's bylaw is blunt: "As of Oct. 31, seasonal storage of any summer leisure vehicle is no longer permitted" (georgina.ca). That wording is broad, so if you own a travel trailer, motorhome or boat, assume it applies until the town tells you otherwise. Snowmobiles get their own window, Nov 1 to Mar 31, and seasonal storage is limited to one leisure vehicle per property.

Year-round storage on your own lot is tightly measured too. In Georgina, permanent front or exterior side yard storage needs a 6.0 m setback from the front or exterior lot line and 1.2 m from interior side and rear lines, with a maximum height of 4.0 m and length of 13 m. If your lot is under 270 sq m, or you live in a semi or townhouse, front and exterior side yard leisure-vehicle storage is not permitted at all.

Enforcement in Georgina is complaint-driven, which means one annoyed neighbour is all it takes to get a knock on the door. Other municipalities have their own versions of these rules with different dates and setbacks, so before you assume the driveway is fine, check your own municipality's bylaw directly.

When to book RV storage in Ontario

Aim to have a winter spot booked by mid to late September. That is not a sales line, it is just how the calendar works.

Bylaw deadlines like Georgina's Oct. 31 cutoff push every trailer owner in town to move their rig within the same few weeks. Yards with good surfaces and easy access get taken first, and if you are still phoning around in late October you will be choosing from what is left.

Booking in September also leaves you time to winterize properly before the first hard frost, rather than doing it in the dark with cold hands. If you use your trailer for fall trips, you can usually book the spot now and move in later, especially with month-to-month arrangements where you only start paying when the space starts.

Outdoor, covered and indoor storage compared

Outdoor yard storage is the cheapest and most common option, covered storage adds overhead protection for a premium, and fully indoor storage costs the most but protects the rig best.

Outdoor yard storage means a gravel or paved pad on a farm, rural lot or commercial yard. Your RV sits in the weather, so a good breathable cover matters, and UV and snow load do slow damage over the years. For most travel trailers this is the sensible default, and it is where peer-to-peer listings from rural homeowners tend to undercut commercial yards.

Covered storage puts a roof over the rig with open sides. It shields the roof membrane, seals and decals from snow and sun, which is where most weather damage happens. Covered spots are less common in Ontario and tend to fill fastest, at a noticeable premium over open yard rates.

Indoor storage means a barn, shop bay or warehouse. It is the gentlest on the vehicle, skips the cover entirely and makes spring startup easier, but it is the most expensive tier by a wide margin. As a real example of what enclosed space costs, a 1,000 sq ft two-bay building in Guelph currently lists at $900 per month on Stashly. For most owners, indoor space makes sense for high-value motorhomes, not entry-level trailers.

What RV storage costs in Ontario

Outdoor RV storage in the Georgina area starts around $120 per month for trailers up to 30 ft, based on live listings in August 2026, with bigger rigs and enclosed space costing more. Here is how verified prices compare:

• Travel trailer or RV up to 30 ft, outdoor yard (Stashly, Georgina): $120 per month
• Motorhome or fifth wheel 30 ft and over, outdoor yard (Stashly, Georgina): $165 per month
• Truck or oversized vehicle, outdoor yard (Stashly, Georgina): $135 per month
• Car or van, outdoor yard (Stashly, Georgina): $75 per month
• Marina land storage on Lake Simcoe, published winter rates for comparison: $200 per month up to 30 ft, $250 to 36 ft, $300 over 36 ft, with non-refundable deposits and storage typically bundled into a 12-month slip lease
• Toronto-area 10x20 self-storage unit, which will not fit most RVs anyway: $344.35 per month on average
• Indoor two-bay 1,000 sq ft building, Guelph (Stashly): $900 per month

Stashly prices are shown all-in, meaning the host's rent plus the single 12.5 per cent service fee, billed monthly by card, and listings are month-to-month unless they state a fixed season. The Georgina yard tiers above are live on stashlycanada.com if you want to compare against quotes from commercial yards near you.

How to winterize your RV before storage

Before your RV sits through an Ontario winter, drain the water system completely and protect it with RV antifreeze. A cracked fitting discovered in April is the most common and most avoidable spring repair.

The basics, whether you do it yourself or pay a mobile RV technician:

• Water system: drain the fresh tank, water heater and low-point drains, bypass the water heater, then pump plumbing antifreeze through every line and pour some into each drain trap and the toilet
• Batteries: remove or disconnect them, store them charged somewhere that does not freeze hard, and top up the charge over the winter
• Fuel: for motorhomes, add fuel stabilizer and run the engine and generator long enough to circulate it
• Tires: inflate to the sidewall maximum, park on boards or pads rather than bare ground, and consider tire covers if the rig sits in the sun
• Pests and moisture: remove every scrap of food, prop the fridge door open, place moisture absorbers inside, and seal gaps where mice can enter
• Cover: use a breathable RV cover sized for your unit, not a plastic tarp, which traps condensation against the roof and paint

None of this is exotic, but skipping the water system step in particular gets expensive. If you are not confident doing it, most dealers and mobile techs offer winterization as a standard service.

Questions to ask before you book a spot

A ten-minute call or visit with the right questions will save you a bad winter. Ask these before you pay anyone anything:

• Surface: gravel, paved or grass? Grass turns soft in the spring thaw and stabilizer jacks can sink
• Turning room: can you realistically swing your trailer in and out, and what does the approach look like with a truck attached?
• Access: can you reach the rig mid-winter if you need to, is the laneway plowed, and do you need to give notice before visiting?
• Security: is there a locked gate, lighting and cameras, and who else has access to the yard?
• Contract: month-to-month or full season paid up front, and is the deposit refundable? Some commercial yards take non-refundable deposits and tie storage to longer leases
• Timing: what happens if you want the rig out early for a May long weekend trip?

On the peer-to-peer side, Stashly listings answer most of this up front: one all-in monthly price paid by card, month-to-month unless the listing states a season, and hosts know renters are ID-verified before anyone shows up with a trailer. Wherever you store it, keep your RV insured while it is parked, since no yard covers your belongings for you.