Ogden driveways (motorhomes, neighborhoods, campers)

[msgarcia]

I am fairly new to Utah, and I bought my home in Ogden close to two years ago. I live on an older, smaller parcel with a single driveway and a non-functional garage. When I came here, I brought my pop-up travel camper with me and parked it in my driveway. The city has now told me that I can not park it in my driveway, I need to create space for and pour a parking pad just for the trailer. The problem is that I can not afford to do what the city wants. I want to know if anyone else has a problem like this, and what you did to resolve it.

To me this sounds like a case of income discrimination. If you have a trailer when you move here, you can't keep it because you can't afford storage or parking. What kind law is that?

[kwm03160]

I would ask to see the ordinance this rule pertains to. It will explain what the reasoning is behind this.

[Lamborgotti]

I don't think it is discrimination, they simply don't want trailers to be in driveways permanently. In all fairness, isn't it natural to expect people who can afford trailers to have an appropriate place to put them?

My parents were once asked a long time ago to remove a van from their driveway, as it was old, ugly, close to the street, and never used. They complied, found another place to put it, and never had a complaint again. Best of all, the neighbors were happier not having to look at an old van every time they went up the street. Judging by where boats, campers, and motorhomes are generally placed (for long periods of time) in relation to houses around here, I think it would have to do with the distance from the street more than anything else.

[MOlney]

I really don't like all of these new laws that cities are creating that tell us what we can do with our property. Don't like what your neighbors are doing? Ask the city to make a law and force your neighbors to do it instead. What kind of a nation are we turning into? Slowly, we are sacrificing all of our freedoms just so that we don't offend someone. Why are we becoming so selfish that we are trying to force others to do what we want them to do? Yes, lets go arrest and fine elderly widows because their yard doesn't look how we want it to look. These are not the principles and ideas upon which our nation was created. If my neighbor wants to park a RV, trailer, ugly van, or anything similar in their driveway, I really don't see how that is any of my business and they should be able to do it.

msgarcia, I feel bad for you. I would go to the city and talk with them about it. Maybe they can work something out with you.

[markg91359]

It sounds like a zoning ordinance. I doubt there is anything you can do other than comply or move. If you think this sort of law is unconstitutional you are almost certainly mistaken. Municipalities have been given broad discretion when it comes to writing zoning laws. If you think there is such a thing as "income discrimination" there may well be, but it is not illegal. There are some places around the country where the zoning laws require property owners to have lots no smaller than 3 acres! My advice: Don't tilt this windmill. Deal with the car and get on with your life.

[MOlney]

From what I can find, this isn't a zoning ordinance, it's a city ordinance that applies to all zones. Looking over Ogden City's website, there may be a few things that you could try, but knowing a little about how difficult Ogden city can be to work with, I doubt it will help much.
Ogden City Zoning Regulations & Use of Land - Ogden City
In the above link, you can download applications for petitions to amend city ordinances, conditional use permits, and non-conforming uses. However, Ogden city has been pretty strict about enforcing their "neighborhood aesthetics" laws, so I would be surprised if you could get them to work with you. But, it never hurts to ask and then you can decide if it's worth pursuing. By the way, here's a link to Ogden City's "Property Maintenance" web-page that discusses all of their property maintenance violations:
Property Maintenance - Ogden City

Some of them, I can agree with; some of them I find completely ridiculous, regardless of whether or not they are legal or constitutional. Just because a city can pass certain laws, doesn't mean that they should. Anyway, it will probably come down to either selling your camper or moving to a city that doesn't have such ordinances.

[JPeterson]

Zoning ordinances help beautify neighborhoods and protect property values. The zoning enforcement officers are reasonable people. They arn't going to abandon the law but they will work with you to put a plan together to bring you into compliance. They may even give you up to a year to save enough money to pour a pad. I encourage you to give them a call, they will be glad to hear from you.