Joe DownsCEO & Co-Founder, Belrose Storage Group. Founder, Storage Moguls.

The 50 Foot Rule That Protects Your Facility (and your Tenants)

3 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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0:45

In this segment of the video, the speaker outlines essential clearance and staging requirements for large recreational vehicles and truck‑plus‑fifth‑wheel combinations at a facility. He stresses that a minimum of 50 feet of clear space is needed for Class A motorhomes (with 60 feet preferred) to allow drivers to swing and back up safely without a three‑point turn. For truck‑and‑fifth‑wheel combos that can exceed 65 feet in length, he recommends at least 60 feet of aisle width and a 70‑foot staging area before the gate/keypad. These dimensions prevent tight backup maneuvers that could damage vehicles or buildings, erode tenant trust, and block street traffic.

Chapters

Large boats and fifth wheels, minimum 50 feet. Below 50, you're asking these tenants to make tight backup maneuvers that damage not only maybe their vehicle or a building, but trust in the facility. Class A motorhomes, 50-foot minimum, 60 is preferred. These vehicles are 35 to 45 feet long themselves. The driver needs room to swing in and back around and without a 3-point turn in a gravel lot. 5th wheel plus a truck combination. This is a critical one. The combination here could be 65 feet or longer. You need 60 feet of aisle width and a 70-foot staging area before the keypad just entered the gate and reached the access point without blocking traffic in the street.