where to park my MH

[mikensallyt]

Time to rant and get suggestions.

Ok, so I checked all the city regulations/ordinances about parking my MH. Their rules are pretty specific but no where does it say you cant park on the street. My problem is my yard. I could have a company come in and install a driveway for my 38 footer but there still wouldn't be enough room except on one side.

Since I live on a corner, I would rotate parking my MH on either corner. Someone (two families) is always complaining though. The only excuse I hear is "I cant see around the corner when I turn" (BS nr 1) or "I cant see when backing out of my driveway (BS nr 2). I've been told that you can park on the street for 48 hours and then you must move it (which I think is BS and I haven't seen that noted anywhere). Well I've moved it and park it right back into the same spot after several hours. Still get the complaints.

I've checked local storage areas and they want just to much money.

Does anyone have any suggestions other than me moving or nuking the two neighbors who live next to each other? I was thinking about having a contractor build me an area in my front yard between the constant complaining woman but that would push them even further. Also a lot of cost. But I'm thinking of doing it since it would be approved by the city. Sheesh!

I've received no other complaints from my other neighbors btw. Any other peaceful suggestions?

[Beyond]

Just so you understand the rules and the risk of being towed. Your city has a very accessible web site.

Portland, TX - Official Website
What are the On-Street Parking Regulations?
In Portland, the following local restrictions apply:

* Unhitched trailers may not be left on a public street (Chapter 19-7, Code of Ordinances).

* Motor vehicles (other than trailers) of any type may not be left on a public street for more than 48 hours at a time. (Chapter 11-89, Code of Ordinances)

You can read the ordinance here: https://www.municode.com/library/tx/...1-89DENUDUPOIM

Sec. 11-89. - Declaration of nuisance; duty of police to impound.

Any vehicle or other property or obstruction placed, left standing, parked, erected or lying in violation of any ordinance of the city, or left unattended for more than forty-eight (48) continuous hours in or on any public street, alley, sidewalk, park or other public place in the city, is declared to be a nuisance, and any such property, when so found, shall be removed summarily by any police officer of the city and taken to the police pound and shall be kept there until redeemed or sold as provided in this article.

(Ord. No. 275, § 1, 5-2-67)


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Can you access your back yard and park it off street there? Certainly better than having to move it every two days.

Good luck dealing with a difficult situation.

[Sue46]

I think you should look for a storage yard. Around my home they generally run $1/foot/month for field parking. Our county parks all have storage yards.

[Peterrrr]

It appears to me that you would be allowed the space in your front yard if its an improved surface you park it on.
ARTICLE VI. - PARKING ON UNIMPROVED SURFACES Sec. 21-80. - Parking on unimproved surfaces. https://www.municode.com/library/tx/...S21-78_21-79RE
If possible though I would put it in your side or back yard.

[98FPA]

Make sure you understand your ordinances. Their interpretation may be different than what you think it says. Here is a picture of my fifth wheel I use to own that was parked in my yard but in violation of the city code. The entire unit had to be parked on and over a hard surface (rock/concrete), as you can see my tires where in my yard on the grass, this was in violation of the code. I had 24 hours to move it ahead so the entire unit was over the concrete. All this happened because my neighbor complained. This happened in February and I had to move about 20 ft. of 2 foot of snow. Needless to say I do not speak to my neighbor anymore. But by city code I was in violation.

[Davdeb1]

I didn't understand your statement about putting in a pad, but there's not enough room except for one side? Why don't you put it on that side? Too much money to store it?
If I was your neighbor and you parked your 38 ft motorhome on the street, I would bewords unhappy, as I could guess most people would.
My suggestion is just bite the bullet and pay to store it. $50 to $100 per month is not much compared to an investment in a 38ft motorhome.

[alpha99]

It's all pretty clear. Storage is a cost of ownership. You obviously can't store it at home so you either have to pay the storage or take the loss selling it.

It's not your neighbor's fault for expecting you to abide by the ordinances, you should have considered where you could legally store it before you purchased it.

Cheers!

[TexasTom]

Call your city code enforcement manager. Over the years I have found them to be a fountain of information. They would rather help you understand your options, and the current enforcement environment instead of fighting with you after the fact.

In our previous neighborhood, it is so bad that we actually decided to move to a different home to get away from stupid neighbors. They would call the police to complain when we simply brought the MH home to load/unload, and have it parked in the street for maybe an hour or two. So it's good to know how the city & the police (code enforcement) are going to react when they get the next call.

Now get this....Bedford TX has an ordinance that says you can't park any vehicle over 25' in length on the street. Yes, that technically means you're not supposed to park a large moving truck in front of your home if you are moving. The city manager in Bedford (and the police) were actually very great about it, but the bottom line is when people complain, and the laws exist, then they can only go so far to "look the other way".

[jcgribks]

Our city also has the over 48 hrs parking rule. The Officer I talked to said that as long as you move it every 48 hrs or sooner then it was legal. He even said just move it a few feet is all it takes. You don't have to take it somewhere and then bring it back but you do need to move it so it's not back in the same exact spot.

[superlucky]

It is too bad that your neighbors had to call the authorities to complain about your vehicle. I would never dream of parking any of my toys on the street where it would have a negative impact on anyone. Your RV might be a golden gem to you, but to your neighbors, it is probably a big, old eyesore.

Can you imagine how your lovely neighborhood would look if everyone parked their RV's, boats, tractors, delivery trucks, etc all over your neighborhood? It would look terrible. The cities have enacted these rules to keep the neighborhoods free from blight. We should all read and understand them and then abide by them to the letter.

If your neighbors had a problem with your RV and it was parked in violation, you should apologize to them and make peace. Yea, "mea culpa's" are tough, but it is the right thing to do.

As a previous poster stated, storage of the RV is part of the expense.

I am currently shopping for a new home and understanding the various rules of the city and HOA by-laws is part of the game plan. If I find a home that I love, but will not allow RV parking, I will plan to store it off-site.

Good luck with your situation.

Bill

[MSHappyCampers]

This reminds me of how fortunate we are to live out in the country and can park our MH anywhere we want on the 3 acres we own!

[austx]

Originally Posted by superlucky

It is too bad that your neighbors had to call the authorities to complain about your vehicle. I would never dream of parking any of my toys on the street where it would have a negative impact on anyone. Your RV might be a golden gem to you, but to your neighbors, it is probably a big, old eyesore.

Can you imagine how your lovely neighborhood would look if everyone parked their RV's, boats, tractors, delivery trucks, etc all over your neighborhood? It would look terrible. The cities have enacted these rules to keep the neighborhoods free from blight. We should all read and understand them and then abide by them to the letter.

If your neighbors had a problem with your RV and it was parked in violation, you should apologize to them and make peace. Yea, "mea culpa's" are tough, but it is the right thing to do.

As a previous poster stated, storage of the RV is part of the expense.

I am currently shopping for a new home and understanding the various rules of the city and HOA by-laws is part of the game plan. If I find a home that I love, but will not allow RV parking, I will plan to store it off-site.

Good luck with your situation.

Bill

In total agreement with Bill! Sorry, you will get no sympathy from us. However, your neighbors will.

I love the ordinances! I don't want my property values to go down nor my neighbor to look unsightly because everyone is parking their boats, RV's, trailers and whatever else in the driveway or on the street! If someone wants to do that, but acreage in the country.

Our previous 25' MH was parked in our side yard with a 6 ft wood fence. Bought a 36' MH and pay to park it in a covered storage area. Just the COST of having an MH.

You have to check out the ordinances of your neighborhood before buying a RV or boat. In Austin, you can not park in the street except 1-2 days to load and upload. You can not park a RV or boat in the driveway or yard unless it is behind a 6 ft wood or masonry fence.

Call your Ordinance Office and find out everything and check about fences. I bet you can't park it on a pad without being behind a fence.

Good luck.

[dons2346]

If you park on the street, expect your coach to suffer some damage whether on purpose or accidental.

Spend the $$ and put it in a storage yard, it is worth the piece of mind not having to deal with irate neighbors.

Or you can do like I did. Buy a rv condo for $65K and park it there.

[thedjjack]

Originally Posted by superlucky

Can you imagine how your lovely neighborhood would look if everyone parked their RV's, boats, tractors, delivery trucks, etc all over your neighborhood? It would look terrible. The cities have enacted these rules to keep the neighborhoods free from blight. We should all read and understand them and then abide by them to the letter.

Funny we have roofing trailer and dually truck, cargo trailer, 3 boats on trailers, work pickups, cars etc. parked on the road in my hood. Plus an RV or travel trailer in the driveway of every other house... I guess we are too busy playing or working or fishing in my town to care... LOOKS great to me!!! actually the whole town is like that no one cares. Neighbour has his new commercial charter boat on the lawn every few days...