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Council discusses regulating boats, RVs and commercial vehicles in residential neighborhoods; enforcement and thresholds debated
Summary
The Township of Washington council debated updates to rules governing storage of boats, recreational vehicles and commercial vehicles on residential properties and clarified that enforcement responsibilities likely will fall to code enforcement for private property and police for public streets.
Council members revisited a planning‑board referral on Feb. 3 seeking to limit boat, RV and commercial vehicle storage in residential districts. The discussion centered on whether to rescind an older parking chapter, amend the zoning code with revised size thresholds, and clearly assign enforcement responsibilities.
Council members described field observations of boats and RVs of widely varying sizes parked on private property across the township — several boats appeared to exceed the 18‑foot length noted in a draft measure and some vehicles were large commercial vans and trailers. One council member said an 18‑foot threshold would exclude many common boats and suggested a larger limit, with one proposal floated informally of 40 feet for upper limits; members emphasized they were only exploring options and had not adopted any standard.
Town officials said the planning board’s reexamination recommended addressing commercial‑vehicle parking. The administration and legal staff indicated that rescinding Chapter 330 (parking of commercial vehicles in residential areas) and replacing its rules with a consolidated amendment (cross‑referenced as part of a larger zoning rewrite) is the intended path. Administrators stressed the need for consistent definitions — for example, whether a vehicle is “commercial” based on DMV registration or on visible signage/lettering — to avoid easy loopholes.
Officials agreed enforcement should be split: the police would handle violations on public streets and during declared snow emergencies; zoning and code enforcement would handle private‑property cases with police assistance when investigations are needed. Staff met with policing, zoning and legal representatives to review which enforcement bodies should take primary responsibility and to reconcile inconsistencies in multiple existing ordinances.
Councilmembers requested staff return with proposed ordinance language, suggested thresholds based on local observations, and an enforcement plan that accounts for DPW and code‑enforcement resources. The council also suggested outreach to affected residents and potential compromises (screening, time limits, or geographic exceptions) before any final ordinance adoption.
