NAHUNTA — Nahunta’s governing body is amending the Zoning and Land Use Code of the City of Nahunta to establish occupancy limits and length of stay relations for travel trailers within registered travel trailer parks.
The Nahunta City Council had its first reading of Ordinance 26-07-002 governing minimum and maximum durations during its July 6 monthly meeting at City Hall.
The resolution for the ordinance states “The City Council of the City of Nahunta seeks to regulate transient accommodations to ensure public health, sanitation and community safety. Travel trailer parks are intended to provide temporary or mid-term accommodations rather than permanent, long-term residential housing layouts.
“And, establishing an explicit floor and ceiling for the length of occupancy protects the city’s infrastructure, prevents unauthorized permanent encampments and ensures proper utilization of commercial recreation parks. “Therefore, be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Nahunta, and it is hereby ordained by the authority of the same.”
Section 1 Definitions
• Travel Trailer: A portable, vehicular structure built on chassis, designed as a temporary dwelling for travel, recreation, or vacation use, including but no limited to recreation vehicles (RVs), fifth-wheels, pop-up campers and motor homes.
• Travel Trailer Park: A continuous parcel of land under single ownership or management developed with specialized utility connections designed to accomodate travel trailers on a temporary commercial basis.
• Length of Stay: The total number of consecutive calendar days and individual, family or single travel trailer unit occupies a designated space or site within a travel trailer park.
Section 2 Establishment of Duration Limits
From and after the effective date of this Ordinance, the length of stay for any individual travel trailer or occupant within an authorized travel trailer park located inside the municipal limits of the City of Nahunta shall be strictly subject to the following duration parameters.
• Minimum Duration: No travel trailer or occupant shall be permitted a length of stay of less than thirty (30) consecutive days. Short-term nightly or weekend-only transient rentals are prohibited within designated travel trailer parks subject to this provision.
• Maximum Duration: No travel trailer or occupant shall be permitted a length of stay exceeding ninety (90) consecutive days within any rolling twelve (12) month period.
• Mandatory Vacate Interval: Upon reaching the maximum ninety (90)day limit, the travel trailer units and its occupants must completely vacate the park property for a minimum of fourteen (14) consecutive calendar days before becoming eligible for a new stay.
Section 3 Record-keeping and Inspections
Every operator or manager of a travel trailer park within the City of Nahunta shall maintain an accurate, up-to-date registry log.
This log must record the owner’s name, vehicle license play, specific site number, exact date of arrival, and scheduled or actual date of departure for every travel trailer.
These records shall be kept for a minimum of two (2) years and made available for inspection by city code enforcement officers or law enforcement upon request.
Section 4 Enforcement and Penalties Any park operator or travel tailer occupant found in violation of the length of stay restrictions established herein shall be subject to a formal citation.
Violations may result in fines up to $500.00 per day for each day the violation continues past the permitted timeline, suspension of the park’s municipal business license or both.
Section 5 Repealer and Conflicts
All prior ordinances, resolutions or parts thereof in conflict with the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict.
Section 6 Severability
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall no affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance.
The Ordinance will take effect following the August 3 second reading at the 7 p.m., meeting of the City of Nahunta council.
