RV parking rules still in effect, just being reworked

Many Carson City residents are wondering exactly what the rules are for parking recreational vehicles, trailers or other oversized vehicles along city streets.

After city supervisors removed a section of code that addressed parking the vacation mobiles in driveways, the rules for parking on the street have not changed, officials said Tuesday.

"All the calls I have received are concerns about how long trailers and RVs are on city streets," said Community Development Director Walt Sullivan. "Those rules are still in effect."

Owners of motorized RVs can park the vehicles on city streets for seven days. After two weeks, if the RV hasn't moved, the sheriff's department can respond and enforce the code if a complaint is received, Sullivan said.

Non-motorized campers, or "fifth-wheels," can be stored on a city street for up to 72 hours. Semi-trucks and trailers are never allowed to be parked overnight in a residential area.

City officials are considering reworking the parking rules in the next few months, possibly centralizing the enforcement to make it easier for the city to follow up, Sullivan said.

Also, a rewritten city nuisance ordinance is under consideration that addresses RV and trailer parking as a neighborhood nuisance. The city is holding a public open house to unveil the new nuisance ordinance today at 6 p.m. at the Carson City Community Center.

Another public workshop will be scheduled, possibly in February, to get public comment specifically on the RV parking rules, Sullivan said.

"We plan to have a public workshop on that to go over all the different rules and regulations, to make people aware of what those rules and regulations are - and, to see if there's an appetite from the public to somehow revise those rules," Sullivan said.

Community Development Compliance Officer Allan Biddle said the biggest problem he sees for the public on a regular basis is not just the parking of RVs on streets, but the way owners hook up the vehicles through extension cords to homes.

"There's no way to really secure that cord properly," Biddle said. "For elderly people walking up and down the streets, it can be very difficult and dangerous."

Another problem city staff plans to address is the parking of diesel-engine tow trucks. The city receives complaints about the trucks being started as early as 3 a.m. to respond to a call, waking neighbors.

"There's a balance we have to find here," Sullivan said. "Should we require them to operate out of a yard, or should we allow larger trucks with diesels in residential areas?"

Tow trucks in residential areas are currently not allowed.

"We've got to find out what the public wants as a reasonable standard," he said.

Contact Jill Lufrano at jlufrano@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.

IF YOU GO

What: Public workshop for new nuisance ordinance

When: 6 p.m. today

Where: Sierra Room, Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St.