Glendora, Calif., RV parking

Update — March 31, 2008

Glendora, Calif., City Council approved the second reading of an RV parking ordinance on March 11. It requires residents to follow these regulations for parking and storing a motorhome on residential property.

• Front yard: Parking in the front yard area or in front of the main residence is prohibited, except on deeper lots where the house was built farther from the street than the required setback. On such lots, an RV may be parked in the front if the owner screens the vehicle with 6-foot-high fencing and obtains an Administrative Review Permit from the city. The RV front yard is the area between the front of a house and the required setback from the street.

• Screening: All applicable RVs parked on a residential lot must be screened from view from the public right-of-way by 6-foot-high screening. The screening must be a wall or solid fence made of masonry, wood or wrought iron.

• Rear yard: An RV may not be parked closer than 2 feet to a fence or wall in the rear yard. The RV rear yard is the area between the rear of the house and the rear property line.

• Side yard: An RV may be parked in the side yard behind the front setback and behind the RV front yard. An RV may be parked close to the side wall or fence. An RV parked in the side yard may encroach up to 3 feet into the front yard as long as it does not encroach into the 25-foot back out distance from a garage. The RV side yard is the area between the side of the main house and the property line.

• Grandfathering: Residents who registered with the city to have their 1993-and-earlier RVs exempted from RV parking restrictions will continue to be allowed to park in front yard setbacks. If the property sells the RV or property, the exemption expires.

• Temporary parking: A motorhome may be parked within the front setback for up to 72 hours to prepare it for a trip or clean/unload it afterward.

• Temporary coverings: Tarps and cloth screens are not permitted. Fitted covers in good condition will be allowed. Permanent canopies will be allowed provided they are specifically designed for RVs.

• Registered owner: To park or store a RV on a property, the RV owner must own the property or be the primary resident.

• Other restrictions: RV parking is prohibited at apartments, condos and mobile home parks.

City staff recommended a six-month education period prior to aggressive enforcement of the new regulations. Enforcement will be on a proactive basis, rather than reactive as in the past.

In addition to motorhomes, the new regulations apply to boats, travel trailers, fifth-wheel travel trailers and all-terrain vehicles stored on trailers, utility trailers and horse trailers. Camper vans truck campers are excluded.

City officials began to study the parking issue about three years ago, when RV owners complained about sudden enforcement of the law prohibiting parking in the front setback.

In June 2005 the city appointed an ad hoc committee of six citizens to recommend possible changes to the original municipal code, which had been adapted in 1993.

In a report presented to city council on Feb. 26, 2008, city planning officials said the original code was ambiguous and had been unevenly applied as a result of complaint-driven enforcement.

“… we will be enforcing this code on a proactive approach rather than a reactive process,” the report stated. “As the ad hoc committee pointed out in their report, the complaint-driven approach is partly responsible for the 1993 effort not succeeding as well as the fact there was not sufficient educational effort to remind residents periodically about the standards.”

Update — Sept. 14, 2007

City staff has been incorporating comments from the planning commission, other city departments and the public into a proposed zoning amendment for RV parking on residential property.

The planning commission will accept public comments at its Sept. 18 meeting and continue the public hearing on Oct. 16 to allow additional time for public review.

Glendora residents may contact the planning manager at (626) 914-8218 for further information.

Top

July 20, 2007

Top