Billings, Mont., overnight parking

Background

April 4, 2006 — update

City Council, on March 27, approved an ordinance that allows RVers to park for up to 10 hours in private parking lots, provided it is permitted by the lot owner.

Although an ad hoc RV committee had suggested limiting parking to six hours, council decided 10 hours would give RVers ample rest before heading back on the road.

The 10-hour grace period is designed to accommodate RVers who don’t need all of the facilities of licensed campgrounds, while allowing parking lot owners to move vehicles along.

The ordinance also stipulates that City Council may temporarily suspend the restrictions to accommodate special events held in the city.

The ad hoc committee als recommended a program in which retailers would hand out visitors' packages to RVers. The packages would include discount coupons from local merchants and restaurants and a one-page letter outlining the parking ordinance.

March 21, 2006 — update

City Council, on March 13, approved the first reading of an ordinance that would allow RV parking on commercial lots for up to 10 consecutive hours, provided it is permitted by the lot owners.

On Feb. 21 an ad hoc RV committee had recommended to limit parking to six hours. But council determined that six hours was too short and would not allow RVers enough time to rest before heading back on the road.

In a March 10 editorial, the Billings Gazette said council should amend the proposal to 12 hours — “enough time for a night’s sleep.”

In summer 2004 local RV park operators complained about RV owners camping at the city's two Wal-Mart parking lots. In response, the city started to enforce a 1967 “Parking for Camping Purposes” ordinance that bans RV camping anywhere except in licensed campgrounds.

The unexpected enforcement ignited “boycott Billings” threats from the RVing community.

Last fall the city appointed the RV committee to examine the ordinance and suggest revisions.

Status: Council considered the second/final reading of the ordinance at its March 27 meeting.

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Nov. 30, 2005 — update

An RV parking committee, appointed by the mayor, has convened several times since its formation in September.

The committee was assigned to research overnight RV parking practices in use around the country, and then make recommendations to City Council.

Eight people serve on the committee, representing developers, RV users, campgrounds, retailers and the Chamber of Commerce.

Councilwoman Nancy Boyer, who chairs the committee, told FMCA, "We definitely want to be tourist friendly and provide for RVers who need that overnight stay. ...We hope to have a resolution that is satisfactory to all concerned."

An editorial in the Nov. 4, 2005, Billings Gazette pointed out that other communities have found common ground on similar “camping” controversies by allowing RVs to park overnight for 18 to 24 hours.

The Gazette stated, “Such a limit would let the RV user stop for the night, so long as the private property owners agreed, but would prevent people from living in parking lots."

The editorial continued, "...There are so many other local issues and so much the RVers and other travelers can enjoy in Billings. The city must move on from this parking controversy.”

Status: The RV parking committee was scheduled to meet Dec. 13. It was not expected to present its recommendations to City Council until at least mid-January 2006, according to Boyer.

City Council also has approved a motion to review existing ordinances that regulate residential parking and on-street parking.

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Sept. 21, 2005

In summer 2004 Billings began enforcing a decades-old law that prohibits overnight RV parking except in licensed campgrounds.

Several RV parks had complained that RVs were camping illegally in the lots at the two Wal-Mart stores in Billings. The subsequent crackdown by the city prompted protests from the RVing community.

In effect since at least 1967, a portion of the city’s traffic code states, “It is unlawful for any person to park a motor vehicle for camping purposes in the city except in an authorized tourist park.”

Status: Billings City Council, at its Sept. 12, 2005, meeting, voted to create a task force to suggest changes to the city’s RV parking ordinance.

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