Recently, the Harrisville City council reviewed city ordinance #458, which addresses how many recreational vehicles and/or trailers a resident can have on his or her property. Previously, it was set at two trailers per property, but council member Knighton wondered if that was too restrictive. Many of Harrisville’s residents have a trailer for four-wheelers or rangers, as well as a camp trailer and a work trailer, which would mean that many residents would be in violation. It was also unclear whether recreational vehicles were allowed to be parked on gravel or if it had to be concrete. The council was given time to review the ordinance and it was rewritten to be more subjective. Commercial zoned properties were given more leeway, and lot size was also taken into account. According to council member Tait, “the new law is more user friendly, but it also allows law enforcement to be able to do their job.”
The issue was brought up because residents of Harrisville have been complaining that people were living in their campers and using the utilities on friends’ or relatives property. To try to circumvent this, the ordinance was created to limit the amount of recreational vehicles. However, some residents have been unhappy with the ordinance, saying that the council has no right to limit personal property.
