Fort Worth, Texas' ordinance regulating oversize vehicle parking and storage excludes RVs, but the city is considering removing the exclusion.

City Council’s Environment/Neighborhood and Community Services Committee held a public hearing Nov. 16 to discuss proposed changes to the existing ordinance.

The oversize vehicle ordinance prohibits oversize commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 15,000 pounds from parking on residential property. These vehicles include dump trucks, tractor-trailers and conventional buses that are more than 20 feet long.

The vehicles may be parked for up to two hours on a residential street. Penalty: a parking ticket and $75 fine.

In addition to removing the exception for RVs, other potential changes to the existing ordinance include:

• Limiting the overall size of vehicles on residential property
• Imposing a parking distance requirement from curb or lateral line of road
• Redefine storage on the street from five days to a shorter time
• Increasing penalties for non-compliance

A former city councilman initiated the charge to change the ordinance after a converted bus was parked indefinitely across the street from his home.

The city's Code Compliance Department reported it has received complaints about RVs and other oversize vehicles blocking sidewalks or, when parked on the street, creating obstructions for drivers. The department also received complaints that the vehicles can be eyesores when parked or stored in front yards or along the street.

Status: The Community Services Committee is reviewing citizens’ feedback and preparing recommendations for City Council. No ordinance language had been drafted, as of late November 2005.