Baltimore committee pauses bill to close trailer parking loophole, seeks clearer fines and enforcement

Baltimore City Council Land Use and Transportation Committee Chair Ryan Dorsey, the bill's sponsor, introduced Council Bill 26-145 on March 19 in the Clarence Duburns City Council Chamber, saying the ordinance is designed to close a longstanding loophole that lets trailers avoid enforcement when they are attached to passenger vehicles.

"It just seems nonsensical that this thing that is illegal to be parked on the street suddenly becomes legal to be parked on the street if it's touching another thing," Dorsey said, describing instances where trailers hitched to pickups or small cars currently escape enforcement.

The ordinance would amend city code to use Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) gross vehicle weight rating categories (for example, category 3 through category 6) so officers can visually identify commercial vehicles without needing to weigh them. Dorsey said the FHWA chart is included in the committee packet to aid enforcement officers.

The bill also seeks to make explicit that commercial vehicles may not be parked on any city street overnight (the committee discussed enforcement in the 1 a.m.–7 a.m. window) and would treat trailers the same…