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Council reviews enforcement, potential rewrite of Tooele code on parking where no curb exists
Summary
Police chief said language in city code making parking illegal where no curb exists is hard to enforce; council directed staff to study narrower, safety‑focused fixes and a survey of right‑of‑way widths in narrow neighborhoods.
Tooele City leaders discussed whether to revise or remove a city code provision that makes it illegal to park where there is no curb. Police Chief Adrian Day told the council the language in city code 10-3-24 is difficult to enforce and asked for council direction.
“Where it says ‘when it is practical to stop, park, or leave such vehicle off the street,’ I don't know when to define that,” Day said, adding, “When you come home and grab an apple, is it okay to do it or not?”
The nut graf: Chief Day and council members framed the problem as uneven street widths and public-safety concerns — particularly for narrow streets where parked cars can impede emergency vehicles — rather than as an across-the-board curb/no‑curb issue. Staff presented two street-width examples: one segment measured about 24.1 feet across the right-of-way and another about 69.5 feet.
Council members said they were sympathetic to residents who need temporary parking for visitors but emphasized fire and emergency access where streets are very narrow. Council discussed limiting parking prohibitions to streets below a specified width or addressing individual problem segments case by case.
City staff said Jamie (Public Works) has just signed a contract with a surveyor to measure right-of-way widths in the Pinehurst area and other narrow streets, and staff will work with fire officials to define a safety threshold. Staff also noted the city already enforces rules against parking in the right-of-way for storage (citing an existing rule that bans parking in the right-of-way for more than 48 hours). Removing the problematic 10-3-24 language entirely was presented as an option if the council is comfortable relying on other code sections modified to address safety and enforcement.
Council comments recommended targeted remedies: revise the language to prohibit parking on streets narrower than a specified width, install signage at affected approaches and notify residents in any area where rules change. Council also asked staff to bring back examples of other code sections that would address safety and passing-room issues.
No formal code change or vote was taken; staff were directed to return with proposed wording, a list of affected streets from the survey and recommended signage and notification procedures.
