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Council discusses tougher RV/camper rules, enforcement limits and possible zoning changes
Summary
Planning Director Tracy Taylor and Health Officer Matthew McConaughey briefed the council on enforcement challenges and potential regulatory changes for residential campers/RVs. Staff said local code limits occupancy to seven days in a 90-day period, COMAR limits camping vehicles to 30 days, and since 2022 the county removed 36 campers from 14 properties; staff recommended either a text amendment or inclusion in a comprehensive rezoning update, with a draft possible in 30–60 days but enforcement requiring more staff.
Wicomico County’s planning and health staff used a July 7 work session to lay out the legal, operational and public-health complications of occupied campers and recreational vehicles (RVs) on private property.
What staff said: Planning Director Tracy Taylor told the council the county’s zoning code includes a definition for “recreational vehicle” and a parking/occupancy provision that generally prohibits occupancy for more than seven days in any 90‑day period in many districts and treats occupied, untagged or abandoned RVs as code enforcement nuisances. Since 2022 staff say the county has removed 36 campers from 14 properties, but abatement can take six to eight months because of required notice periods and court backlog. Taylor described two long-standing hunting-camp special exceptions (Lucky 7 and the Powellville/Wheelers/Del-Mar site) that predate current zoning and are legally nonconforming.
Health context: Health Officer Matthew McConaughey briefed the council on state regulations (COMAR citations) that limit camping-vehicle occupancy and require approved sewage disposal methods; he noted licensed septic haulers and a county dump station that charges a fee. McConaughey said camping units are not allowed to be attached to on-site sewage disposal systems or potable wells and that illegal hookups can prompt environmental-crimes referrals.
Policy options and constraints: Staff told councilmembers they have researched neighboring counties (Somerset, Dorchester, Worcester). Somerset recently adopted a permitting/registration process and seasonal timeframes tied to hunting season; that approach includes a zoning-certificate registration and placard system. Staff presented two paths: (1) a focused text amendment to the zoning code specific to RVs (a draft possible in 30–60 days for planning commission review), or (2) wait to include RV rules in a larger comprehensive rezoning tied to the county’s comprehensive plan update targeted for next spring (draft by April, adoption by June/July). Both options would increase staff workload and probably require additional code-enforcement capacity; staff estimated adding enforcement could be a six-figure budget item.
Community concerns: Council members emphasized competing priorities: prevent nuisance/health impacts on neighborhoods while avoiding creating unintended homelessness by displacing people who use RVs as housing. Several council members urged careful drafting and suggested work sessions and review of neighboring-county models.
What’s next: Staff said they can prepare draft language for a text amendment in roughly 30–60 days if council directs it; otherwise the item can be folded into next year’s comprehensive rezoning. Council did not vote on regulatory changes at the session.
