Legislative Updates
July 2006
RV parking issues keep popping up in Southern California. But RVers spotted one in British Columbia, Canada, and quickly batted it down …
Prince George, British Columbia, overnight parking
City Council on April 24 passed a motion to ticket retailers who allow RVers to park overnight on their lots. Two weeks later council voted unanimously to rescind its decision.
Prince George is located at provincial routes 97 and 16, along one of the most popular thoroughfares to and from Alaska. The city is well-developed and has a number of service facilities used by motorhome owners.
When news of the proposed bylaw spread, RVers responded in waves. Many said a ban on overnight parking at Wal-Mart and similar outlets would prompt them to avoid Prince George during their travels.
In a letter to FMCA’s Governmental and Legislative Affairs Committee, the mayor’s office said the motion “would have devastated our tourism to Alaska by RVers …. Please notify RVers in the FMCA magazine that Prince George is open for business and we welcome you with open arms.”
In May council sent the proposal back to the administration for further study. City officials plan to consider limiting RVers’ stays to between 12 and 24 hours and changing the bylaw regulating where RVs are allowed to park.
Mayor Colin Kinsley told the Prince George Citizen he hopes word of council’s rescision spreads among RVers. “It’s unfortunate we had to go through this but we learn from our mistakes and it takes a pretty tall person to admit a mistake and fix it,” he said.
Oceanside, California, on-street parking
Oceanside, a beach community located about 40 miles north of San Diego, is considering an ordinance aimed at curtailing RVs from parking on city streets for extended periods.
The ordinance would require a text amendment to the zoning ordinance regulating off-street parking.
An existing city ordinance allows oversized vehicles to park on city streets for up to 72 hours without moving.
According to the proposed ordinance, a vehicle would be considered stored unless it is moved at least 1/2-mile within a 72-hour period. Up to four times per year, a resident may request a 72-hour extension permit to park on the street, provided the parked vehicle does not pose a public hazard.
The ordinance defines an “oversized vehicle” as one that exceeds 22 feet in length.
The proposal also calls for signs to be posted at the city limits emphasizing the 72-hour on-street parking rule.
The proposed changes to the zoning ordinance may give RVers more leeway when parking on residential lots.
According to the existing code, vehicles “shall not be parked in a required front, corner side, side, or rear yard area and shall not project beyond the front building line of the principal structure on a site ….” Vehicles may be parked on an approved driveway.
The proposed changes would permit RVs to park in the corner side, side, or rear yard area when following these guidelines:
- Vehicles must be parked behind a 6-foot-high view-obscuring fence.
- Vehicles must be parked on an acceptable surface of gravel, brick, or other paved surface.
- Vehicles or portions thereof, which are visible from public or adjacent private property, must be maintained in good appearance and condition.
- Vehicles must not block exterior windows or doors of habitable space in a dwelling.
- Vehicles must not block access to utility boxes or meters.
- At least one 36-inch clear side-yard access aisle must be maintained to the rear yard.
The Planning Commission scheduled a public hearing for June 26.
Los Angeles on-street parking
RVs stored on city streets block oncoming traffic. They’re hazards. They’re eyesores.
In response to complaints such as these, the Los Angeles City Council on March 22 asked the city attorney’s office to draft an ordinance regulating overnight parking of RVs and other large vehicles.
The ordinance would prohibit RVs and other oversize vehicles on certain city streets from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who introduced the motion for an ordinance, also asked city staff to establish a free permit system that would allow short-term parking for loading and unloading RVs before and after a trip.
City Council would identify streets where RV parking would be prohibited, and signs would be posted in those areas.
In her April 2006 online newsletter, Councilwoman Hahn said the new ordinance should be in place by the end of the year. “I truly believe that this new law will allow RV owners to load and unload their vehicles, while prohibiting the storage of these vehicles on our neighborhood streets,” she noted.
Burbank, California, on-street parking
The Burbank Traffic and Transportation Committee met May 11 to discuss a proposal that would restrict the time RVs are allowed to park on city streets.
Existing code allows RVs to park on residential-zoned streets for 72 hours.
The new regulations would ban parking between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless the RV owner obtains a 24-hour permit. The permit would prevent extended parking and curtail owners from moving their RVs a short distance every 72 hours.
The Traffic and Transportation Committee, a legally constituted advisory committee to Burbank City Council, will welcome public comments at its July 13 meeting.
City Council will have final say on the matter.
Huntington Beach, California, on-street parking
City Council in April voted to allow residents to park their RVs on the street for up to 100 days per year.
The city’s existing rules limit on-street RV parking to eight consecutive days and no more than 16 days in a month with a special permit.
The police chief had proposed reducing the consecutive days to three and the monthly days to 12. Instead, the city opted to restrict the number of days per year while maintaining the existing monthly restrictions.
The police chief said parking enforcement will not ticket RVs that have a permit and are moved to a different street on street sweeping days.
San Diego on-street parking
The Parking Advisory Board was to report on the proposed Oversized, Non-Motorized and Recreational Vehicle Ordinance at its May 18 meeting.
The latest ordinance proposal bans RV parking on city streets from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. without a permit. A permit for overnight parking would be available to residents and guests.
According to a notice issued by the city, the Parking Advisory Board planned to recommend accepting the ordinance, unchanged, as proposed by the city’s Traffic Engineering Division. The board, however, presented two alternatives.
Alternative A involves adding provisions for an annual permit for RV owners, instead of a per-use permit. This would allow resident RV owners to park adjacent to their residences for up to 72 hours, subject to the provisions in city code.
Visiting RVers would apply for a permit on a per-use basis as stated in the proposed ordinance.
City staff would provide cost-recovery methodology to ensure the proposed $3 fee covers the expenditures related to the permit process, enforcement, and use of public right-of-way space.
Alternative B: Implement a pilot program in one geographic area for 12 months, applying the proposed ordinance as originally drafted or applying the ordinance as modified in Alternative A.
Torrance, California, on-street parking
City Council’s Community Planning and Design Committee will create one or two ordinances regulating on-street parking of RVs. After a public hearing on March 28 during which 18 speakers were heard, council asked the committee to incorporate these highlights in the ordinance(s):
- a fee offset charged;
- a 72-hour rule to load and unload;
- a residential permit system excluding nonresidents;
- no grandfathering but providing a grace period;
- visitor exemptions;
- exemptions if used as primary vehicle;
- the city exploring alternative locations for RV storage, with management placed in the hand of others.
As of May 9, the committee had not met or scheduled a meeting. The city’s general municipal election was June 6; it was unlikely action would be taken before then.
Covina, California, residential parking
An ad hoc committee composed of RV owners and non-RV owners is reviewing the Covina Municipal Code as it relates to parking and storing RVs.
The Planning Commission received 18 letters from persons interested in serving on the panel, with approximately two-thirds representing RV owners and one-third representing non-RV owners.
The committee was scheduled to present a report to the Planning Commission on May 23.
The commission’s most recent RV parking ordinance draft includes the following revisions to existing municipal code:
- No parking between the front lot line and the front building line of any residential lot.
- RVs must be parked or stored so that at least 3 feet of open access is preserved in all side yards on the lot.
- No overnight parking on residential streets, and no parking for longer than 30 minutes between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.
- RVs must be parked or stored perpendicular to the front lot line.
A citizens group called the Covina Residents/Rights Association has presented specific objections to the proposed ordinance.
Billings, Montana, overnight parking
The Billings brouhaha came to an end on March 27. That’s when City Council approved an ordinance that allows RVers to park for up to 10 hours in private parking lots, if permitted by the lot owner.
Although an ad hoc RV committee had suggested limiting parking to six hours, council determined it wasn’t enough time to give RVers ample rest before heading back on the road. But 10 hours would be sufficient for RVers who don’t need the facilities of licensed campgrounds, council decided. It also would enable lot owners to move vehicles along after a reasonable time.
The ad hoc committee also recommended a program in which retailers would hand out visitors’ packages to RVers. The packages would include discount coupons from local merchants and restaurants and a one-page letter outlining the parking ordinance.
Maryland driver’s license requirements
House Bill 1585 died in a Senate committee but may resurface in 2007, according to the bill’s sponsor.
The bill would have required the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration to study certain issues related to driver licensing for the operation of motorhomes and report its recommendations to the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2006. The licensing issues include: training; testing; requiring an endorsement for motorhomes on a noncommercial Class C driver’s license; and the feasibility of “grandfathering” license holders who currently drive motorhomes.
Maryland law requires drivers whose motorhomes weigh more than 26,000 pounds to have a valid Class B noncommercial license. To obtain the license, applicants must pass a written test and a skill maneuvers test that includes parallel parking and backing up.
HB 1585 encountered virtually no resistance in the House, where it passed by a vote of 138-1. It was introduced in the Senate on April 6 and referred to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on April 10, the last day of the 2006 legislative session.
Rep. Joseph Bartlett’s office said the bill will be reintroduced at the start of the next session in January. Rep. Bartlett planned to meet with state police to request that the Class B license requirement for motorhomes not be enforced until the General Assembly has a chance to address the issue in 2007.
Legislative Updates is a periodic column compiled by FMCA’s Governmental and Legislative Affairs Committee “” Max Durbin, chairman “” and Todd Moning, FMCA.com Web editor. Contact the committee through FMCA’s Membership Department, (800) 543-3622; e-mail: membership@fmca.com.