Staff moves to enforce parking‑lot striping after safety review identifies 59 noncompliant sites

City planning staff told the Wyoming City Council on May 11 that enforcement of parking‑lot striping is moving forward after an education effort identified dozens of noncompliant car‑related lots, particularly along Division Avenue.

Colton Heibel and planning staff showed photos of vehicle stacking, double and triple parking, and cars parked in the right of way that staff said conflict with the International Fire Code and local zoning rules. Staff said they sent roughly 150 letters to car‑related businesses starting in February 2025; by March staff had field‑verified that 91 addresses were in compliance and 59 remained out of compliance.

Heibel said staff sought voluntary compliance and worked with dealers to create stripe plans that meet both display preferences and fire‑safety aisle widths; in many cases a compliant layout reduced capacity by only one car. "We've worked with them and have continued to work with a lot of different dealerships to make sure they can meet code requirements while also maximizing their space," Heibel said, contrasting typical triple‑stacked lots with the striped layouts.

Council members pressed staff about fairness and potential business impacts. Staff said the process begins with education and plan review (a plan‑review fee of $100 was cited), escalates to code‑enforcement notices for sites that remain noncompliant, and could include fines or legal action if owners refuse to cooperate. Staff emphasized they cannot grant variances to the fire code; the code requires a minimum 20‑foot‑wide fire apparatus access road and specific clearance standards.

Outcome: Council directed staff to continue outreach and to convene with an ad hoc group of council members and affected dealers to seek workable solutions; staff said enforcement (including fines) would be the next step for sites that refuse to comply.