Recreational Vehicle Parking
Thomas Township maintains an ordinance that regulates the areas in which recreational vehicles may be parked on residentially zoned property. Complaints made to the Code Enforcement Officer are commonly related to this ordinance. Common complaints are: "My neighbor has a camper parked in his driveway and only moves it when he goes camping two weeks a year." or "My neighbor keeps his empty snowmobile trailer in his driveway all year long."
Under the provisions of the ordinance, residentially zoned properties have restricted parking areas specific to recreational equipment. The restricted area includes the front yard and a portion of the side and rear yards of a parcel. It is important to understand the definition of a residentially zoned front yard. It is an area 35' from the road right-of-way. To find the road right-of-way in front of a parcel, measure from the center of the road 33' in the direction of the house, this will be the edge of the road right-of-way. The 33' right-of-way width may vary, so check with the Township or Saginaw County Road Commission to be sure. The restricted side yard and rear yard areas are 4' from the property lines. The attached diagram shows a typical residentially zoned parcel with the restricted areas highlighted.
If your property is zoned residential and you are parking any type of recreational equipment including, but not limited to travel trailers, boats, jet skis, boat trailers or snowmobile trailers with or without machines on them, you should make arrangements to move them.
If you are unsure of your zoning or if you are unsure if you are parking within a restricted area, please feel free to contact the Thomas Township Code Enforcement Officer for help. If you would like the Code Enforcement Officer to investigate a potential violation please call and report it to the Enforcement Officer. If we can eliminate a problem before it starts everyone will benefit.