RV Garage Door Size and Building Height: Sizing a Metal RV Garage in Spokane Around Washington's 14-Foot Limit (2026)

Short answer: Washington caps street-legal vehicles at 14 feet tall and 8.5 feet wide, and RVs at 46 feet long, so those three numbers are what size an RV garage door and building, not a code "standard." A door that clears a 14-foot opening will take any legal RV, as long as the building's eave is tall enough to fit the door's header and hardware above it. Here's how we size the door, the sidewalls and the building depth for a metal RV garage in the Spokane area, and what one costs installed.

The legal limits that set your RV's size

• Height: RCW 46.44.020 makes it unlawful for any vehicle, loaded or empty, to be taller than 14 feet above the road surface
• Width: RCW 46.44.010 limits a vehicle and its load to 8.5 feet (102 inches) wide. Rear-view mirrors are allowed to stick out past that so the driver can see down both sides
• Length: Washington L&I's RV plan review guidelines, citing RCW 46.44.030, cap travel trailers, fifth wheels and every class of motorhome at 46 feet overall
• Awnings and add-ons: the same L&I guidelines let appurtenances project up to 4 inches from an RV's body, and awnings up to 6 inches in travel mode
• Truck plus trailer: WSDOT lists 75 feet as the legal overall length for a truck and trailer, which matters if you want to pull a fifth wheel in still hitched

Your own coach is probably smaller than the legal maximum. Measure it, including the roof AC, antennas, ladder and solar panels, before we design anything.

Is there a standard RV garage door size?

No building code sets one. Door makers sell a range of widths and heights, and the right one depends on your RV. The way we size it:

• Door height: at least your RV's measured height plus a margin for a bouncy suspension and the slope of the driveway. If you might ever buy a bigger rig, a 14-foot-tall opening covers any legal RV
• Door width: well past the 8.5-foot body width, because mirrors legally stick out past it and you'll be backing in. How wide depends on your mirrors, how straight the approach is and whether anyone will guide you in
• Walk-in room: if the door is on the long sidewall, plan more width so you can swing the RV in; a gable-end door gives a straight pull-through

How tall the walls have to be

The door is not the only thing that has to fit. The building's eave (sidewall) height has to clear the door opening plus the header above it and the door's coil or track and opener. Your engineered drawings set the exact numbers for your door model, and we size the sidewalls to match before the steel is ordered.

Taller walls also mean a taller building, and local zoning caps building height. In rural Spokane County, our shop setback and height guide covers the limits and how far from the property line you can build.

How long and wide the building should be

• Length: a 46-foot coach needs a building longer than 46 feet once you add room to walk around the front and rear and close the door. A 60-foot-long building leaves 14 feet to spare around a maximum-length RV
• Width: add up the RV's width with its slides in, a walkway on each side, and any second bay for a truck, boat or workbench
• Truck and trailer together: if you want to store a fifth wheel hitched, plan for the combined length, up to the 75 feet WSDOT allows

Not sure where to land? Our 30x40 vs. 40x60 vs. 40x80 shop sizing guide works through vehicles, doors and lifts.

Built for Spokane snow

• Engineered for your parcel: every pre-engineered metal building we supply comes stamped for your site's snow and wind loads. Spokane County and the City of Spokane design to a 39 psf ground snow load, and some areas like Deer Park are much higher; our Spokane County snow load guide explains how to find yours
• Put the big door on the gable end: metal roofs shed snow off the eaves, so a door on the gable end keeps the slide from piling up in front of it
• Footings below frost: footings go at least 24 inches deep in Spokane and most of Spokane County, deeper in some towns. See our frost depth guide
• A slab that carries the weight: an RV puts heavy point loads on the floor, so we design the slab and the apron in front of the door for it. Our shop slab thickness guide covers thickness and reinforcement

Do you need a permit for an RV garage?

Yes, in practice. Spokane-area codes only exempt small one-story accessory buildings of about 200 sq ft or less, and an RV garage is far bigger. Our shop and pole barn permit guide walks through the rules by jurisdiction.

What a metal RV garage costs

Raven's going rate for an installed pre-engineered metal building is about $60 to $75 per sq ft. Electrical, plumbing and utility hookups are not included and are extra.

• 30x50 (1,500 sq ft): about $90,000 to $112,500 installed
• 40x60 (2,400 sq ft): about $144,000 to $180,000 installed
• Always extra: electrical, plumbing and utility hookups
• Priced in your quote: the door you pick, extra wall height, grading and how far utilities have to run

Pole buildings run about the same installed in our market; our red iron vs. pole barn comparison covers the tradeoffs. And because Raven isn't tied to one manufacturer, we source each building from whoever can deliver fastest. See our PEMB lead time guide.

Get an RV garage quote

Send us your RV's height, length and width with the mirrors out, plus your address, and we'll size the door, walls and slab around it. Call 509-350-2016 or request a free quote. See our steel building services.

Sources

• Installed pricing: Raven Buildings' current going rate
• RCW 46.44.020, maximum vehicle height
• RCW 46.44.010, outside width limit
• RCW 46.44.030, maximum lengths
• Washington L&I, Plan Review and Submittal Guidelines for RVs
• WSDOT, Commercial vehicle permits (legal dimensions)
• Washington State Patrol, Vehicle and Equipment Requirements
• Spokane Municipal Code 17F.040.105, Design Criteria (snow load and frost depth)
• Spokane County BP-25, Permit Exemptions