Recreational trailers fill highways, not right-of-way

With summer weather on the horizon, recreational trailers, campers and RVs are flooding local streets and highways on their way to adventure.

According to city documents, unauthorized parking of commercial and recreational vehicles is one of the top seven code violations. An ordinance was passed by Longmont’s City Council in November 2020 banning RVs, camper coaches and other recreational trailers from being parked on the street for more than 48 hours. The ordinance went into effect January 1, 2021.

In an email with the Leader from November 2020, Deputy Police Chief Jeff Satur indicated that enforcement of the RV ordinance would be predominantly complaint based, and that code enforcement were not proactively looking for vehicles and trailers to tag.

"The only really Longmont thing is that there are three different entities that handle enforcement on these things, the police, traffic enforcement, and code enforcement, so maybe residents don't know who to report to," said Longmont Master Police Officer David Kennedy.

Recreational vehicles and trailers must be parked on a finished surface, paved or gravel, or in a garage to avoid ticketing. 

"Any trailer or recreational vehicle, no matter its size, will be treated the same and is subject to these rules," Kennedy said. "Any trailer, camper or boat needs a license plate or it's considered a junk vehicle and the city can tow it."

Permits are available through Longmont’s citizen portal to park these vehicles for a week at a time for $25 each, limited to four issued per resident each year. Vehicles and trailers must be stored on a driveway or finished surface on private property. Storage facilities in the area provide another option for vehicle owners, though the daily rates can be costly.