Forum Discussion

Obatanga_Boreal's avatar
Jun 24, 2020

Fighting local zoning ordinances that hurt RV owners

We just moved to a new township and AGAIN are faced with ridiculous local zoning ordinances that prevent or strictly impede RV owners from parking their rigs in their own paved driveways or on their own property! These rules are wholly unfair. It seems zoning officers, in their quest to restrict derelict vehicles from driveways, have lumped RV owners into the same group and it's a terrible injustice. How do RV groups fight this wholesale discrimination by petty local officials???

19 Replies

  • bobndot wrote:
    If it was a concern of mine, which it is, then I would investigate the rules of the HOA or Inc. village before I bought.
    Research apparently doesn't run in his blood. He has the exact same thread running in another forum which is, of course, prohibited by the Forum Rules.
  • bobndot wrote:
    If it was a concern of mine, which it is, then I would investigate the rules of the HOA or Inc. village before I bought.


    Yup, you're absolutely right. The term "due diligence" just isn't in some peoples vocabularies.
  • If it was a concern of mine, which it is, then I would investigate the rules of the HOA or Inc. village before I bought.
  • It is a difficult but not ridiculous issue. There are very nice RVs out there. And there are RVs still being used that you wonder how they still hold together. There are two options. No rules about keeping them at a residence. Or restrictions against all of them. You can’t write an ordinance that says this one is ok but that one is not. An ordinance stating it was ok if it cannot be seen from the street or by your neighbors would be acceptable. Otherwise prohibiting it altogether is the best option. Anything in between will only cause problems.
  • Before your next move, check the local ordinances and try to find a property with adequate and "discrete" RV parking, out of the view of the curb/roadway, and not blocking the views left/right of the neighbors, if any. View blocking is often the main reason for restricting parking them in front of the house, or close to the roadway in the driveway. But do check the rules before you buy. The rest of what klutchdust suggested, as well.
  • How many times have you discussed this issue with your council member? Similar to researching public schools, local taxes, unfunded public pensions, water availability etc. you should have researched this issue prior to buying.
  • The enforcement people are only doing the job they were hired to do. The people the make the rules are elected by the people.
  • Start attending the city council meetings in your community, get to know the folks on the board and voice your concerns. There are so many pros and cons to RV's and being on personal property. It's a slippery slope and one that needs to be addressed accordingly. With many choosing to live full time in their coaches it presents a new set of issues.
    I own and store mine behind my home. My neighbor parked his class A on the street, which are narrow to begin with, and it annoyed even me.
    Now, HOA's are another entirely different story. i would live in my car before living in another HOA neighborhood......