Council introduces ordinance defining recreational vehicles and clarifying 'loading/unloading' time limits

Assistant City Attorney Hongdao Nguyen told the council staff proposed amendments to two code sections to address recurring resident complaints about oversized vehicles parked on city streets.

"What we proposed in the ordinance before you is changes to 2 code sections. 1 is to add a definition for recreational vehicles ... with the width in excess of 84 inches as measured at the widest portion of the body, but not including mirrors or other extensions," Nguyen said. The proposal would also clarify "active loading or unloading" to include preparing a vehicle for storage and limit such activity to a period not to exceed 12 hours.

Nguyen said the draft also cleans up non-substantive text to make the code easier to read. Council members asked clarifying questions about existing definitions for campers and other oversized vehicle categories; staff noted the municipal code already includes length and weight-based categories and that this change fills a specific definitional gap.

The council moved to introduce the ordinance for first reading; the motion carried on a unanimous roll-call vote. The item will return for later readings and formal adoption if council wishes to proceed.