Mayfield council targets long-running RV/campground use after owners seek permit

At a work meeting on April 23, 2025, the Mayfield Town Council spent the largest portion of its agenda considering a private parcel where multiple recreational vehicles and ancillary structures have been left in place and connected to utilities.

Speaker 2 opened discussion by noting the town had sent notice letters to dozens of properties and that one property in particular — where several trailers have remained for decades — had applied for a new water meter. The property owner’s response, the council said, cited nonconforming-use language from the town’s code but did not provide the sort of documentary proof the council expects to justify continued, expanded use.

Council members reviewed the relevant local code sections referenced by the property’s correspondence, including the passages cited in the packet (for example, “18 48 2 40,” and related zoning code sections). Several councilors said the town’s zoning code allows limited recreational-vehicle presence (examples discussed: short-term stays of about five days continuous or a 12-day monthly allowance and up to three RVs on a single lot), but that permanent hookups or added structures can change the character of a long-standing use and thereby negate grandfathered status.

The council reported receiving an application to connect town water and photographic evidence claiming a septic permit was approved in April 2018. Members said those improvements — and the presence of roughly eight trailers by the town’s count — suggest the property’s use has intensified beyond the town’s historical, occasional recreational use.

The town’s attorney advised that the burden of proof lies with the property owners to show continuous, unchanged use from a cut-off year the council might select for grandfathering (speakers discussed earlier years such as 1977 or a later date like 1998). If owners cannot produce affidavits, dated photos, or permits that substantiate their claim, the nonconforming-use defense may not apply.

The council agreed on a staged enforcement approach: (1) send a clear town letter identifying violations and a 30‑day compliance timeline; (2) for repeat or nonresponsive cases, follow with an attorney-signed demand; and (3) if noncompliance continues, file infractions in justice court so a judge can require documented progress and, where merited, enter judgment or fines. Councilors noted they already sent 37 letters earlier and that attendance by recipients was limited.

Next steps: staff will gather available county septic permits and photos, request additional documentation from property owners to support any grandfathering claim, and prepare a prioritized punch list of cases for attorney follow-up. The council asked staff to draft the standard town compliance letter and to identify the first group of properties to escalate if they fail to respond within 30 days. The meeting adjourned after the council confirmed those next procedural steps.