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Fire marshal: Trailers and RVs parked near homes are 'an exposure'; officials debate setback options
Summary
Roy municipal staff continued a discussion about allowing trailers and RVs to be parked in front or side yards. Deputy Fire Marshal Mike King told officials such vehicles and items next to homes are an "exposure" and urged defensible space; planning staff and commissioners debated setback distances and whether to change the ordinance.
Deputy Fire Marshal Mike King told city officials that trailers, motorhomes and other large items parked next to homes create a fire exposure and complicate firefighting access.
"Everything is considered an exposure to us," King said, adding that in many residential situations the fire department has no jurisdiction to order removal. He said modern building materials and lighter trailer construction can make fires flash and spread faster, and noted firefighters aim to arrive on scene within about seven minutes.
The planning staff said the discussion was a continuation of a prior agenda item about marking or regulating trailers in front yards. Commissioners and staff debated whether to change setback rules so that at least one side of a property remain accessible to emergency personnel, and several members suggested a minimum 36-inch clearance between parked trailers and adjacent property lines as one possible requirement. Staff noted existing setback policy aims for roughly 5 feet between structures to reduce fire transfer.
Planning staff reported that under current code, a second curb cut requires at least 100 feet of street frontage in the RE-20 zone, limiting how many properties could add side-yard trailer parking. Commissioners also raised concerns that smaller lots could not meet proposed dimensional standards and that allowing trailers on both sides of a house could defeat setback goals.
No ordinance change was approved. One planning staff member said they did not see sufficient support on the body to forward a public hearing to amend the ordinance and suggested the matter could be revisited alongside related driveway rules.
Officials said they would continue to educate residents about fire safety and defensible space but emphasized limits on enforcement authority for private residential parking.
