Chapter 18.95
COMMERCIAL RV PARKS OR CAMPGROUNDS

Sections:

18.95.010    Purpose – Permit required.

18.95.020    Definitions.

18.95.030    Development standards.

18.95.040    Maintenance and standards.

18.95.050    Complaints and revocation.

Prior legislation: Ords. 66 and 2016-09.

18.95.010 Purpose – Permit required.

The purpose of this chapter is to establish the process for permitting commercial RV parks or campgrounds. The intent is to protect the integrity and characteristics of established land use districts by ensuring that RV parks or campground facilities are operated in a manner that minimizes negative impacts of those uses on neighbors, public services, and the surrounding community. A commercial RV park or campground facility is a conditional use which must be issued in accordance with the provisions of this title, FCC Title 17, and this chapter before such a facility may be constructed in any zone in which this use is allowed as a conditional use.

Permits required by the Summit County Health Department and the state shall be required for all properties used for commercial RV parks or campgrounds. (Ord. 2024-09 § 1 (Exh. B), 2024.)

18.95.020 Definitions.

“Cabin” means a detached unit less than 1,000 square feet of living space including optional bathroom and kitchen facilities within the unit.

“Occupants” means the individual(s) staying in an RV park or campground facility.

“Responsible party” means the owner(s), agent(s), or management company responsible for the operation and maintenance of the facility and for its compliance with all laws, rules, and regulations.

“RV” means recreational camping type vehicles and travel trailers, as well as tent trailers, or tents if applicable. (Ord. 2024-09 § 1 (Exh. B), 2024.)

18.95.030 Development standards.

In addition to conditions as may be required upon the issuance of a conditional use permit for an RV park or campground, all RV parks or campgrounds shall be built to the standards set forth in this title and FCC Title 17. Plans and elevations for the RV park or campground and any buildings or structures proposed for location therein shall be submitted with the application for a conditional use permit. The plans shall be in conformance with the following general development standards:

1. Minimum Park Area. RV parks or campgrounds shall contain at least five acres.

2. Site Requirements. Each RV, cabin, or camping site in a park shall have an area of not less than 1,500 square feet. Sites must be set back at least 30 feet from all property lines. Each RV site shall have an average width of 25 feet. Trailers and cabins shall be separated from each other and from other structures by at least 15 feet. Any accessory uses such as attached awnings or steps shall, for the purposes of this separation requirement, be considered to be part of the trailer or cabin.

3. Cabins. Cabins are allowed at a rate of up to one cabin per RV and/or campground site.

4. Frontage and Gradient. Each site shall abut directly upon a park street for a minimum distance of 20 feet. Alignment and gradient shall be properly adapted to topography and provisions shall be made for proper drainage.

5. Parking. Each RV site shall have an RV parking space and an off-street parking space for at least one vehicle. Each cabin or tent site must have an off-street parking space for at least one vehicle. Not more than one RV shall be placed on an RV site. Additional parking must be provided in the campground at a ratio of one parking space for every five sites that do not have at least two off-street parking spaces.

Each RV site shall provide sufficient parking and maneuvering space so that the parking, loading or maneuvering of trailers incidental to parking shall not necessitate the use of any public street, sidewalk, right-of-way, or any private grounds not part of the RV parking area.

6. Landscaping. All open areas except driveways, parking areas, walking ways, utility areas, or patios shall be maintained with landscaping in accordance with a detailed landscaping plan to be approved by the Planning Commission in conjunction with issuance of a conditional use permit. All submitted landscape plans shall be designed to encourage water conservation as a primary consideration. Trees shall be planted at a rate of at least one per camping site. Deciduous trees shall have a caliper from two to three inches and evergreen trees shall have a height from five to eight feet.

7. Streets. Streets within campgrounds shall remain privately owned and maintained. Streets shall be at least 25 feet wide. Parking shall not be allowed on park streets. The park streets shall be paved in accordance with applicable City standards. Curb and gutter is optional. If curb and gutter is used, it shall be built to City standards.

8. Recreation Area. A central recreation area shall be established in all RV parks which shall be easily accessible from all sites. The size of such recreation areas shall be not less than 10 percent of the gross site area of all RV spaces, or 3,000 square feet, whichever is greater.

9. Restrooms. Restrooms, including toilets, showers, and lavatories, shall be provided within an RV or camping park to conveniently and adequately serve said park.

10. Cooking Facilities. Each site shall be equipped with a picnic table and benches or equivalent. Outdoor cooking facilities must meet the requirements of the South Summit Fire District.

11. Laundry. Laundry facilities are optional; however, outdoor laundry drying lines shall not be permitted at the RV park or campground.

12. Utilities. All utility distribution facilities shall be placed underground at depths to ensure proper safety. The owner shall make the necessary arrangements with each of the public serving utilities for installation of said facilities. Transformers, terminal boxes, meter cabinets, pedestals, concealed ducts, and other necessary appurtenances to such underground facilities may be placed above ground. All sites must be served with water and electricity. Natural gas hookups shall not be provided to RV or tent sites.

13. Storage. No accessory building, shed, or cabinet may be placed upon or erected upon an individual site for the storage of materials or personal belongings.

14. Fuel Tanks. All fuel tanks maintained within an RV site must be mounted securely upon or attached to the RV or vehicle which they serve. No such tanks shall be larger than 50-gallon capacity.

15. Site Identification and Addresses. Each site shall be marked and numbered for identification. There shall be no separate mailboxes, separate street address designations, or other similar accessories which would give the appearance of permanence to occupants of an RV or cabin site.

16. Screening. RV parks and campgrounds may be required to provide screening from adjacent uses, as determined by the Planning Commission.

17. Fire Protection. The campground shall provide fire protection in accordance with the South Summit Fire District requirements.

18. Wastewater, Trash Disposal, and Drinking Water. Each RV park shall have facilities for disposal from the holding tanks of trailers and similar vehicles which shall be hooked to the City sewer system, or a wastewater disposal system approved by the City Council and state Health Department. Also, a source of potable water for filling RV, travel trailer or other water tanks shall be required. Proper screened facilities for waste storage, handling and disposal must also be approved by the Planning Commission. (Ord. 2024-09 § 1 (Exh. B), 2024.)

18.95.040 Maintenance and standards.

The responsible party shall ensure that the RV park or campground conforms to the following standards:

1. Length of Occupancy. No site located within a park established under these provisions shall be occupied by the same guest or vehicle for a period exceeding 90 days per calendar year. After 90 days, guests and their vehicle(s) must leave the park for at least 72 hours before returning to a different site at the park. The responsible party shall keep a record of occupants’ names and vehicles for each site and make these records available to City officials if requested.

2. Facility Maintenance. Structures shall be properly maintained and all facilities such as plumbing, HVAC equipment, appliances, etc., kept in a condition that is fully operational and otherwise in good repair.

3. Landscaping Maintenance. Grounds and landscaped areas shall be properly maintained to ensure that the use does not detract from the general appearance of the area or create any hazard or nuisance to the occupants or to neighboring properties.

4. Code Compliance. Each habitable space shall meet current federal, state, and local building and health codes, and shall be equipped with fully functional smoke and carbon monoxide detectors located at places within the dwelling unit that comply with applicable building codes.

5. Garbage. Garbage shall be placed in City-approved receptacles, shall be screened, shall not be allowed to accumulate on the property, and shall be removed on regularly scheduled pickup days.

6. Storage. There shall be no open storage of personal belongings within any site, nor shall there be an accessory building, shed, or cabinet placed upon or erected upon an individual site for the storage of materials or personal belongings.

7. Vehicle Repairs. There shall be no removal of axles, wheels or tires from an RV or other vehicle located within an RV or camping park, except for emergency, temporary removal to accomplish repairs.

8. Noise and Nuisances. Occupants and their pets shall not create noise or other conditions that by reason of time, nature, intensity or duration are out of character with noise and conditions customarily experienced in the surrounding neighborhood. Occupants shall not disturb the peace of surrounding residents by engaging in outside recreational activities or other activities that adversely affect nearby properties before 7:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. Occupants and their pets shall not interfere with the privacy of nearby residents or trespass onto nearby properties.

9. Illegal Conduct. Occupants shall not engage in disorderly or illegal conduct, including illegal consumption of drugs or alcohol. (Ord. 2024-09 § 1 (Exh. B), 2024.)

18.95.050 Complaints and revocation.

Complaints received by the City for any violation of this section will be handled as follows:

1. A first complaint will result in an investigation and, if warranted, the City will issue a written warning to the responsible party; said warning shall provide notice of the complaint, a description of any violation, and actions to be performed to correct a violation. Upon receipt of a second complaint, the City will conduct an investigation and, if warranted, will take one of the following courses of action:

a. Issue another warning;

b. Issue a citation for violation of City ordinances or rules in accordance with Chapter 18.145 FCC, Penalties;

c. Initiate formal cause proceedings to revoke the conditional use permit and business license; or

d. Initiate revocation proceedings as provided in this section.

2. In the event of an order to initiate formal proceedings, the responsible party shall appear before an administrative law judge to demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, why the conditional use permit should not immediately be revoked. If the responsible party fails to appear, the facts alleged in the notice for the formal proceeding shall be deemed to be true and the administrative law judge may take such action as it deems appropriate, including revocation of the conditional use permit.

3. Notwithstanding any other remedy in this section, violations of federal, state, or local laws may be prosecuted in any court or administrative tribunal having jurisdiction over the matter. (Ord. 2024-09 § 1 (Exh. B), 2024.)