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Mayfield Council readies enforcement after family-run trailer site seeks conditional use for eight RVs
Summary
Town officials reviewed a long-running nonconforming recreational-vehicle site north of the Creek Bridge, discussed a conditional-use request tied to eight trailers, and outlined next enforcement steps including documentary proof, a 30-day compliance letter and possible court action.
Mayfield town officials met April 20 to discuss enforcement options after a long-standing recreational-property use north of the Creek Bridge expanded into multiple recreational vehicles and a new conditional-use application.
The town said the property, represented locally by Victor Wilden, has had recreational use for decades but officials contend the character and extent of the use have changed because trailers and service connections were added after the town’s ordinances took effect. Kevin (town attorney) told the council the legal burden for claiming a grandfathered or nonconforming use is on the property owner and recommended the town require documentary proof of what existed before the ordinance date.
The property owner’s submission includes a request for a conditional use to allow eight trailers. Council members and staff reviewed the town’s zoning references (cited in staff materials as section numbers 18-48-240, 18-50-210 and 18-30-2) and county records showing a county-approved septic permit dated April 2018. Council members noted the town’s ordinance language limits recreational vehicles from connecting to town water or sewer and generally requires them to be self-contained. Town staff said they had issued a generic ordinance-violation letter to the owner and will follow an enforcement sequence used elsewhere in the county.
Council members described the likely next steps: confirm the date-and-content evidence the owner offers to support a nonconforming-use claim (photos, affidavits, deeds), obtain copies of the county septic permit and any electrical/county inspection records, then send a formal 30-day compliance letter from the town. Kevin advised the letter trail typically precedes further action; if property owners do not comply, the town can escalate to a justice-court infraction process that requires regular progress reports to a judge and can lead to fines and judgments. "The burden is theirs to show compliance," Kevin told the council.
Officials also pressed for clarity about utility hookups. Staff reported the town does not permit hookups of town water or sewer for recreational vehicles, but acknowledged older, preexisting connections and county inspections sometimes exist outside the town’s permitting record. Council members asked staff to obtain the septic permit documents, electrical inspection records and the property deed chain to determine whether ownership changes severed any nonconforming-use claim.
Council members said they want a consistent enforcement approach. The mayor directed staff to prepare a list of properties that received notice and to begin sending the next-level legal letters to the worst offenders. That enforcement list will include the Wilden property as a priority because of the number of trailers, on-site structures (a so-called “bunkhouse”) and the apparent post-ordinance additions to the site. The council did not vote on any ordinance changes at the meeting but asked staff and legal counsel to prepare follow-up documentation and letters for approval.
Documents or permits the town will request: county septic permit (staff noted one dated 04/2018 had been provided), any county electrical inspection records, photos or affidavits demonstrating continuous use since 1977, and copies of any building or zoning permits. The town intends to treat proof of expanded hookups or added structures after the ordinance date as evidence that the nonconforming use has changed and is no longer protected.
The council also discussed practical limits: trailers on a half-acre create setbacks, fire-code and sewer-separation issues, and the town must weigh whether it will permit limited family recreational arrangements versus commercial or campground-style use. Staff said other jurisdictions had followed a stepped enforcement model — town notice, attorney letter, and justice-court follow-up — and that had reduced violations over time.
The mayor instructed staff to return a recommended draft of the 30-day attorney letter and a prioritized enforcement punch list at the next meeting so council members could authorize mailing and, if needed, court filings.
