Durham commissioners unanimously adopt minor UDO change to allow limited RV parking on driveways
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Summary
After a staff presentation and no public comment, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted a text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance that lets recreational vehicles park on a driveway if the vehicle is at least 25 feet from the public right of way; the board also approved a required statutory consistency statement.
Durham County commissioners voted unanimously to adopt a narrow amendment to the county’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that will allow recreational vehicles to be parked on residential driveways if they are at least 25 feet from the public right of way.
Scott Whiteman, planning and development department staff, told the board the amendment (text amendment case TC250020) is a staff-initiated, minor change to UDO vehicle-parking rules intended to reduce enforcement of a provision that the new UDO will remove. "Staff is recommending a minor text amendment that would allow RV parking on a driveway if it is at least 25 feet from the public right of way," Whiteman said during the public hearing.
The change responds to a conflict between existing zoning language that requires recreational vehicles (boats, camper trailers, utility trailers) to be stored off the street and behind the primary structure and the practical reality that many lots and driveways do not have rear-yard vehicle storage. Whiteman said multiple violations of the older provision had been identified and that the amendment avoids citing property owners for conduct that the forthcoming UDO will no longer prohibit.
Commissioners asked staff to clarify the interaction between homeowners associations (HOAs) and zoning. A commissioner asked which rules "supersede which," and Whiteman responded that if an HOA rule is more restrictive than local zoning, the HOA restriction would effectively supersede zoning for enforcement purposes, but that enforcement would be the HOA's responsibility, not the city or county.
The planning commission unanimously recommended the amendment in December, and the Durham City Council approved the amendment 6–0 at its meeting the prior Monday, Whiteman said. After closing the public hearing with no registered speakers, Commissioner Jacobs moved to adopt an ordinance amending Article 10 (Parking and Loading) of the UDO; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The board also adopted, by unanimous vote, a consistency statement as required by North Carolina General Statute section 160D-605.
What happens next: The amendment will take effect according to the county’s normal ordinance-adoption processes and the timing for the broader UDO update; staff indicated the full UDO will become effective later this year. The board recorded the action as a unanimous approval with no recorded dissents.
Votes at a glance: - UDO text amendment (TC250020) to permit driveway RV parking (25-foot setback from right of way): adopted, unanimous vote. - Consistency statement under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-605: adopted, unanimous vote.
Key context: The amendment is narrow and procedural rather than a wholesale zoning change. Staff framed it as a corrective step to align enforcement with the new UDO's forthcoming rules and to avoid penalizing property owners for a regulation that the new code will remove.
