People may no longer park trailers, campers, boats and RVs on Festus city streets, except for during limited periods of time while the trailers and other large vehicles are being loaded or unloaded.
Festus City Council members voted 8-0 on Oct. 28 to amend the municipal ordinance on street parking to ban people from parking trailers, campers, boats and RVs on city streets.
City Administrator Greg Camp said the amendment went into effect the day after the meeting, on Oct. 29, when Mayor Sam Richards signed the paperwork.
Those breaking the ordinance face fines, he said.
“It’s now a misdemeanor with a fine as determined by the court,” Camp said. “It could be up to $500 per incident.”
He said no one incident or series of incidents spurred city officials to amend the ordinance.
“I think it’s been an accumulation over time,” he said. “Maybe not a lot of campers, but there are trailers.”
The only exception for parking trailers, campers, boats and RVs on city streets is “for purposes of loading and unloading only, but not to exceed 48 hours at a given time,” the amendment states.
Camp said the amended ordinance is similar to those many homeowners associations have prohibiting trailers and large vehicles from being parked on streets in their subdivisions.
“New subdivisions with homeowners associations regulate this,” he said. “We want it unified around town.”
He said the amended ordinance applies to all trailers, campers, boats and RVs, licensed or not.