Battle Ground council asks staff to draft revisions to 1995 RV, trailer and boat parking code; moratorium remains

City council members in Battle Ground asked staff to draft changes to the city’s 1995 RV, trailer and boat parking ordinance and confirmed a moratorium will remain in effect until revised language is returned for public hearing.

The directive followed a detailed study-session presentation by Police Chief Dennis Flynn and extensive public comment. Flynn said the standing code, last amended in 2004, currently states that an RV, boat or trailer "is to be behind the front of your your house," with no driveway, street or grass/front‑yard parking permitted under the present text. He described enforcement as largely complaint‑driven and gave the council a breakdown of recent casework: "out of the 427" complaints logged, "359 of them had multiple issues," 326 were solely driveway complaints (about 76% of the total), and outreach in Q4 produced 127 warnings that led to 65 compliant properties, 48 pending follow‑ups and 14 deemed noncompliant (one fine was paid then refunded under the council moratorium.")

Residents urged nuance in any rewrite. One speaker whose relative is a disabled veteran asked the council to consider language creating an exception for temporary on‑site housing when safety hookups and acreage conditions are met. Other speakers described high compliance costs (storage fees, site work) for longtime homeowners whose lot layouts predate denser modern development and asked that council consider driveway, side‑yard/topography or limited front‑yard allowances.

Council members repeatedly emphasized enforceability and public safety. Council Member McCoy said code language should allow an enforcement officer to "drive by a driveway and tell right away whether it's an issue or not," and raised line‑of‑sight concerns for children and vehicles. Several members expressed support for allowing one RV or trailer in a legal paved driveway (with limits to prevent blocking sidewalks, public easements or creating sight‑line hazards); other members favored an option that permits angled parking on a front/side yard where topography or lot layout makes side or rear parking impracticable.

Council asked staff to draft clear definitions for terms such as "driveway," "front yard" and "side yard," and to include sight‑line and public‑right‑of‑way safeguards that the code enforcement team can apply consistently. Staff noted the city code already defines driveway and that many neighboring cities use different approaches — some allowing a single vehicle on a driveway under topography exceptions, others permitting limited front‑yard or screened front parking — which informed the options presented to council.

The council did not vote on ordinance language at the meeting. Mayor Overholser and council members said they want the draft code returned for a formal public‑hearing process; staff estimated that a code‑change package would require at least a month to schedule public notice and hearing. The council also reiterated that the current moratorium on penalties remains in place until the matter is resolved.

What happens next: staff will draft ordinance amendments reflecting council direction (definitions, sight‑line metrics, driveway/paving thresholds, topography exceptions and potential limits on the number of front‑facing units) and will return the draft for council review and public hearing. The council asked for follow‑up data including how many unique properties generated multiple complaints and clarified counts for affected homes.

Clarifying figures provided at the meeting: 427 total violations logged in the recent review; 326 (76%) were reported solely for driveway parking; 127 priority warning notices were sent in Q4, with 65 properties brought into compliance, 48 pending follow‑up, 14 noncompliant and one paid fine later refunded under the moratorium.