Full-hookup RV park etiquette
Arrival timing and night-arrival procedures, staying within your site boundaries, sewer connection and gray water rules, generator hours and inverter vs conventional differences, quiet hours and sound transmission, shared facility standards, and departure cleanup.
A goFrigg account keeps the steps you mark done on every device you sign in on.
Saved on this device only. A goFrigg account keeps the steps you mark done on every device you sign in on.
Already a customer? Sign in
The steps
1 Arrival and check-in
- Don't arrive before check-in time. Most full-hookup parks have a check-in window, typically noon to 6 PM. The previous occupant may still be on-site, and staff haven't prepared the pad. Arriving early and pulling up to an occupied site is an awkward situation that benefits no one.
- Call ahead if you'll be arriving after the office closes. Most parks have a night-arrival procedure, usually an envelope with your site assignment and a map. Call that afternoon to confirm. Don't guess your site in the dark and park on someone else's pad.
- Drive the loop before unhitching. If you have any flexibility on site, a slow pass through the park before committing lets you check power pedestal location, shade, slope, and proximity to bathhouses. You can't easily move once you're leveled and connected.
- Respect quiet hours on late arrivals. If you're arriving close to quiet hours, delay generator startup and hold noisy setup tasks for morning. Neighbors already there are likely asleep.
- Check-in window typically noon to 6 PM. Previous occupant may still be on-site. Don't pull up to an occupied pad.
- After-hours arrival: call that afternoon, know your site number. Night-arrival envelope has the map. Don't guess in the dark.
- Drive the loop before unhitching: pedestal location, shade, slope, proximity to bathhouses. Hard to reposition once leveled and connected.
- Late arrival near quiet hours: delay generator startup, hold noisy setup tasks for morning.
2 Site setup and utilities
- Stay within your site boundaries. Slide-outs, awnings, rugs, chairs, and bikes all count. Your site ends where the next one begins. Check before you extend anything.
- Know whether your rig draws 30 or 50 amps before you plug in. Confirm the pedestal matches. Running a 50-amp RV on a 30-amp pedestal via adapter while using high-draw appliances will trip the breaker repeatedly and affect neighboring pedestals on the same circuit.
- Lay out water and sewer hoses neatly. A hose crossing a shared pathway or the adjacent site is a trip hazard. Route along the edge of your site, not across walkways.
- Use a surge protector at the pedestal. A faulty pedestal can send a damaging surge through your electrical system. A 30- or 50-amp surge protector is a one-time purchase that protects thousands of dollars in appliances.
- Everything within the site boundary: slideouts, awnings, rugs, chairs, bikes. Check before extending anything.
- 30A vs 50A: confirm the pedestal matches your rig. 50A on 30A via adapter + high-draw appliances = repeated breaker trips affecting neighboring pedestals on the same circuit.
- Water and sewer hoses along the site edge, not across shared pathways. Trip hazard.
- EMS surge protector at the pedestal every hookup. Faulty pedestals can send damaging surges. One purchase protects thousands in appliances.
3 Sewer and gray water
- Use a proper sewer hose with a donut seal at the drain. A loose connection lets sewer gas escape at ground level, unpleasant for every nearby site. Replace hoses that are cracked, brittle, or leaking.
- Never dump gray water on the ground. Gray water (sink and shower water) is a regulated discharge in virtually every commercial campground. It goes down the sewer connection, not onto the gravel pad or into the grass.
- Leave the black tank valve closed until ready to dump. Leaving it open continuously lets liquid flow while solids accumulate and dry into a serious problem. Keep it closed and dump at two-thirds full or at departure.
- Wear gloves for every sewer connection and disconnection. Keep disposable nitrile gloves and hand sanitizer with your sewer hose bag. This is standard practice, not optional.
- Proper sewer hose with donut seal at the drain. Loose connection = sewer gas at ground level. Replace cracked or brittle hoses.
- Gray water is regulated at every commercial campground. Down the sewer connection, not onto the pad or into the grass.
- Black tank valve stays closed. Leaving it open dries solids into a buildup that does not flush out. Dump at two-thirds full or at departure.
- Gloves for every sewer connection and disconnection. Nitrile gloves and hand sanitizer in the hose bag. Standard practice.
4 Generator use
- Know the park's generator hours and follow them exactly. Most full-hookup parks post generator hours, typically 8 AM to 10 PM. Running before or after those hours is the fastest way to generate a complaint and a knock from staff.
- Use shore power instead when it's available. At a full-hookup site with reliable pedestal power, there's rarely a reason to run a generator. Shore power is quieter, cheaper, and more considerate.
- Position exhaust away from neighbors. If generator use is unavoidable, orient exhaust away from neighboring sites. At no point aim exhaust toward an adjacent RV's windows or vents.
- Inverter generators are substantially quieter. At 50 feet of separation, the difference between a conventional open-frame generator and an inverter generator at partial load is significant. If you run a generator around other people regularly, it's worth knowing which type you own.
- Generator hours posted and enforced. Typically 8 AM to 10 PM. Outside those hours = complaint and staff knock.
- Shore power available: use it. Generator at a full-hookup site is loud, unnecessary, and considered poor form.
- Generator exhaust: away from neighboring sites. Never aimed at adjacent windows or vents.
- Inverter vs open-frame: significant noise difference at 50 ft separation. Worth knowing which type you own if you run one around others.
5 Noise and quiet hours
- Know the park's quiet hours and treat them as hard limits. Most parks use 10 PM to 8 AM. Some start at 9 PM. Read the rules at check-in, not when someone knocks on your door at 11.
- Sound carries farther than you think. A television at normal living-room volume, heard through an open window at 2 AM, wakes neighbors. Music outside after dark does too. If it can be heard at the edge of your site, it's loud enough to bother someone nearby.
- Dogs that bark when left alone are your problem to solve. A dog that barks continuously when you leave the RV is not a manageable situation in a close-proximity park. Address it before you put yourself in close proximity to other travelers.
- Quiet hours typically 10 PM to 8 AM. Some parks start at 9 PM. Read at check-in.
- TV at living-room volume through an open window at 2 AM wakes neighbors. Audible at the site edge = too loud.
- Dog barks continuously when you leave: not manageable in close-proximity parks. Solve it before you arrive.
6 Shared facilities
- Leave bathhouses cleaner than you found them. Wipe down the sink counter. Pick up hair. Hang the shower curtain so it dries. These are shared spaces used by dozens of people daily. The quality depends on how guests treat them, not just how often staff clean them.
- Don't monopolize laundry machines. Start a load and come back on time. Laundry rooms in RV parks often have one or two machines serving 50 sites. Wet clothes sitting in a machine for an hour after the cycle ends is inconsiderate in every campground culture.
- Don't cut through occupied sites. Every site is someone's temporary home. Walking through another person's campsite to get somewhere faster (even if it looks empty) is the same as cutting through their yard. Walk the road instead.
- Bathhouse: wipe the sink counter, pick up hair, hang the shower curtain. Shared by dozens daily.
- Laundry: start a load and come back on time. One or two machines for 50 sites. Wet clothes sitting for an hour is inconsiderate.
- Walk the road, not through other sites. Every site is someone's temporary home.
7 Departure and site cleanup
- Be out by checkout time. Checkout means your rig is off the pad and rolling, not that you started hitching. Staff need to inspect and prepare the site for the next arrival.
- Leave the site clear. Pick up any trash including items that blew under the rig overnight. Remove mats, chairs, and leveling blocks. Check under the awning. Leave the pad the way you'd want to find it.
- Disconnect the sewer hose before anything else. People drive away with sewer hoses still connected. Put it first on your departure checklist (before slide retraction and leveling jacks) so it cannot be forgotten.
- Checkout means off the pad and rolling, not that you started hitching. Staff need to inspect and prep for the next arrival.
- Site clear: all trash including what blew under the rig, mats, chairs, leveling blocks. Check under the awning.
- Sewer hose disconnected first, before slide retraction and leveling jacks. Item #1 on the departure checklist, not an afterthought.
These articles are provided for general informational purposes only and do not constitute professional, legal, safety, or emergency advice. Content reflects conditions at the time of publication and may be out of date, laws, regulations, facility rules, and equipment standards change. Always verify requirements with the governing authority for your jurisdiction, vessel class, and specific situation. goFrigg makes no representations about the completeness or accuracy of this content and is not responsible for outcomes resulting from actions taken based on these articles. In an emergency, contact emergency services immediately, do not rely solely on this content. Trailering, boating, and storage carry inherent risks. Consult qualified professionals before acting. See our Privacy & Terms for full disclaimers.
You might also need
- RV & camper16 min read
Arrival timing, site boundaries, backing in and leveling your rig, RV hookups, generator and noise rules, campfire safety, shared facility courtesy, and Leave No Trace basics, the full picture for setting up and camping considerately.
- Boats4 min read
Locating pump-out stations before you need them, deck fitting access, tank rinse protocol, the black-before-gray sequence at RV dump stations, cleanup standards that keep facilities open, and how to use free stations responsibly.
- RV & camper5 min read
Walk the site before you move the truck, the pull-through-then-back technique for tight sites, spotter use and positioning around campsite hazards including trees and pedestals, coordinating a second person when mirrors are blocked, and how to handle a site that does not fit the rig. Includes a condensed checklist.
- Boats21 min read
Engine fogging and cooling system flush, fuel stabilization vs run-dry tradeoffs, gear lube change and lower unit inspection, battery removal and maintenance, bilge dry and through-hull checks, shrink wrap vs cover, upholstery and desiccant storage, and electronics removal.
Keep every guide in one place
Save the guides you need and check off the steps as you go. Starting is free, and you can leave whenever.