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Resident questions Dayton code after notice about trailers on backyard grass; council tells staff to review enforcement and possible ordinance change
Summary
A Dayton resident told council he received a zoning violation for storing boat trailers and asked whether city code requires paving backyards. Staff cited City Code 100119 and said enforcement is complaint-based; council agreed staff should review the ordinance language and consider options including extensions or an ordinance amendment.
During open forum at the Dec. 10 Dayton City Council meeting, resident Larry Jacobson told the council he had received a zoning noncompliance notice because several trailers were stored on grass in his backyard and asked whether the city required paving backyards to store trailers.
Jacobson said he and neighbors routinely store trailers in backyards seasonally and that the letter's language was unclear about whether a backyard parking area must be surfaced with concrete or an impermeable material. He noted the notice had been postmarked Nov. 22 but not received by the family until Dec. 7, raising questions about the timeframe for compliance.
Staff (speaker 12) referenced City Code 100119 as the authority cited in the notice and explained that the enforcement process is complaint-driven: staff investigates after a complaint is received by email or phone rather than proactively inspecting yards. Staff told Jacobson residents can request an extension through the city's code-enforcement contact (Hayden) and said staff would work with him to review the case and the ordinance language.
Council members acknowledged the mismatch between written code and how residents use yards, noting they frequently observe trailers parked on grass across the city and said the city's ordinance language might merit clarification. Council asked staff to provide the specific code citation (City Code 100119) and to return with options for clarifying the ordinance and a consistent enforcement approach.
"It doesn't clearly say that you're not supposed to park on the grass," Jacobson said, holding his printed letter and asking the council to confirm the code reference.
Next steps: Staff told Jacobson how to request an extension and agreed to follow up with him directly. Council directed staff to evaluate City Code 100119 and consider whether a code amendment or administrative clarification is appropriate before broader enforcement.
