Hollister Municipal Code Ch. 10.10 Recreational Vehicles and Boats

For the purposes of this chapter:

Public right-of-way means a street, alley, municipal parking lot, or public property belonging to the city of Hollister.

Recreational vehicle means a motorhome, travel trailer, truck camper, camping trailer, or other vehicle or trailer, with or without motive power, designed or altered for human habitation for recreational, emergency, or other human occupancy and specifically includes the following:

1. Recreational Vehicle means a motor home, travel trailer, truck camper, or camping trailer, with or without motive power, designed for human habitation for recreational, emergency, or other occupancy, that meets all of the following criteria: (1) it contains less than 320 square feet of internal living room area, excluding built-in equipment, including, but not limited to, wardrobe, closets, cabinets, kitchen units or fixtures, and bath or toilet rooms; (2) it contains 400 square feet or less of gross area measured at maximum horizontal projections; (3) it is built on a single chassis; and (4) it is either self-propelled, truck-mounted, or permanently towable on the highways without a permit.

2. Truck Camper means a portable unit, consisting of a roof, floor, and sides, designed to be loaded onto, and unloaded from, a truck and designed for human habitation for recreational or emergency occupancy. "Slide-in camper" means a truck camper. A "truck topper" is not a truck camper.

3. Camp Trailer means a vehicle designed to be used on a highway, capable of human habitation for camping or recreational purposes, that does not exceed 16 feet in overall length from the foremost point of the trailer hitch to the rear extremity of the trailer body and does not exceed 96 inches in width and includes any tent trailer. Where a trailer telescopes for travel, the size shall apply to the trailer as fully extended. A camp trailer shall not be deemed to be a trailer coach.

4. Camper means a structure designed to be mounted upon a motor vehicle and to provide facilities for human habitation or camping purposes.

5. Fifth-Wheel Travel Trailer means a vehicle designed for recreational purposes to carry persons or property on its own structure and so constructed as to be drawn by a motor vehicle by means of a kingpin connecting device.

6. House Car means a motor vehicle originally designed, or permanently altered, and equipped for human habitation, or to which a camper has been permanently attached.

7. Trailer Coach means a vehicle, other than a motor vehicle, designed for human habitation or human occupancy for industrial, professional, or commercial purposes, for carrying property on its own structure, and for being drawn by a motor vehicle. A "park trailer," as described in California Health and Safety Code section 18009.3, is a trailer coach.

8. Auxiliary Dolly means a vehicle, not designed for carrying persons or property on its own structure, which is so constructed and used in conjunction with a semitrailer as to support a portion of the weight of the semitrailer and any load thereon, but not permanently attached to the semitrailer, although a part of the weight of such dolly may rest on another vehicle.

9. Bus means a motor vehicle designed for carrying more than ten persons including the driver and used or maintained for the transportation of passengers.

10. Commercial Coach means a structure transportable in one or more sections, designed and equipped for human occupancy for industrial, professional, or commercial purposes, including a trailer coach.

11. Motor Truck means a vehicle, designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property and which has an unladen weight in excess of 6,500 pounds.

12. Semitrailer means a vehicle with a gross weight of more than 6,000 pounds, designed for carrying persons or property, used in conjunction with a motor vehicle, and so constructed that some of its weight and that of its load rests upon, or is carried by, another vehicle.

13. Trailer means a vehicle designed for carrying persons or property on its own structure and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and so constructed that no part of its weight rests upon any other vehicle and which has a wheel base in excess of four feet.

14. Truck Tractor means a motor vehicle designed and used primarily for drawing other vehicles and not so constructed as to carry a load other than a part of the weight of the vehicle and load so drawn.

15. Watercraft means a boat or other vessel that travels on water, including but not limited to, boats, jet skis, wave runners, or any other similar personal watercraft or vessel.

16. All-Terrain Vehicles means a recreational vehicle designed for or capable of travel over rough ground, including but not limited to, 4-wheelers, 3-wheelers, ATVs, dune buggies, and other similar type vehicles.

Unladen Weight means the weight of the vehicle equipped and ready for operation on the road including the fenders, body, equipment required by law, any special cabinets, boxes or body parts permanently attached to the vehicle, oil in the motor, radiator full of water, with five gallons of gasoline or equivalent weight of other motor fuel.

(Ord. 1091 § 2, 2012; Ord. 1228, § 1, 2, 2023; Ord. 1239, 2023)

Subject to Section 10.10.030, subdivision F., no person shall abandon, park, store, leave, keep or maintain, or permit to be abandoned, parked, stored, left, kept or maintained, any recreational vehicle or boat upon any public right-of-way. No habitation or occupancy of the recreational vehicle or boat shall be allowed at any time that the recreational vehicle or boat is located on the public right-of-way except when a person is actively loading or unloading the recreational vehicle or boat.

(Ord. 1091 § 2, 2012; Ord. 1228, § 3, 2023)

A. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the parking or storage of a recreational vehicle or boat on any private property in a garage or structure that fully encloses the recreational vehicle or boat. For purposes of this section, "fully encloses" means that the garage or structure provides coverage of the recreational vehicle or boat on all four sides so that no part of the recreational vehicle or boat can be seen outside of the garage or structure.

B. The recreational vehicle or boat shall not be used for human habitation or occupancy at any time that it is located on private property as permitted herein.

C. Except as provided herein, no person shall abandon, park, store, leave, keep or maintain, or permit to be abandoned, parked, stored, left, kept or maintained, any boat or recreational vehicle on private property.

D. Rear or Side Yard Storage: One recreational vehicle and one boat may be parked, stored, left, kept, or maintained at a single-family residence if the recreational vehicle and/or boat comply with the following conditions:

1. The recreational vehicle and/or boat are each 30 feet or less in length, less than 12 feet in height, and less than eight feet in width;

2. The recreational vehicle and/or boat are located in the legally permitted rear yard or the legally permitted side yard pursuant to Chapter 17 of the Hollister Municipal Code;

3. If the recreational vehicle and/or boat is less than eight feet in height, it must be located at least 18 inches from any property line, at least five feet from any building used for human occupancy and at least five feet from any building overhang attached to a building used for human occupancy; and

4. If the recreational vehicle or boat is more than eight feet but less than 12 feet in height, it must be located at least five feet from any property line, at least five feet from any building used for human occupancy and at least five feet from any building overhang attached to a building used for human occupancy.

E. Storage on Residential Driveway: Only one recreational vehicle or boat may be parked, stored, left, kept, or maintained in the front driveway of a single-family residence if the recreational vehicle and/or the boat each comply with the following conditions:

1. The recreational vehicle and/or boat cannot be properly stored pursuant to the requirements of subsection D.

2. When stored, the recreational vehicle and/or boat shall be positioned to provide a minimum setback of three feet from adjoining properties and three feet from any inhabited structure, including a garage. The recreational vehicle and/or boat shall not be stored in a manner that blocks secondary exits or encroaches upon the public right-of-way.

3. The recreational vehicle and/or boat shall be stored on the residence's primary driveway or on a properly permitted and approved pad that is in compliance with applicable rain runoff standards.

4. As stored, the recreational vehicle and/or boat shall not exceed a height of 12 feet.

5. The recreational vehicle and/or boat shall have a valid and current DMV registration, corresponding to a current resident of the property where the recreational vehicle and/or boat is being stored, and the recreational vehicle and/or boat shall not be in a planned nonoperation filing (PNO) status.

6. The recreational vehicle and/or boat must be operable and shall not be stored in a dismantled state, or with severe damage.

7. The recreational vehicle and/or boat shall not be stored with open slide outs, it shall not be connected to power or water, and it shall not be inhabited at any time unless it is being actively cleaned, repaired, loaded or unloaded.

F. Parking Permits: Registered owners of recreational vehicles and/or boats that do not fit under the guidelines for storage within the rear, side or front of a residence, as allowed within this chapter, may apply for a permit, allowing them to temporarily store their recreational vehicle and/or boat in their driveway or the public roadway in front of their residence, if allowable, for 72-hours. A permit shall only be allowable for owners who are preparing for a trip or who are unloading, cleaning or repairing a recreational vehicle and/or boat after a trip. Issued permits shall be subject to the following conditions:

1. The recreational vehicle and/or boat may be parked in the driveway temporarily without the required setbacks in subsection E.3., provided the recreational vehicle and/or boat does not encroach upon the public right-of-way (e.g., sidewalk).

2. The recreational vehicle and/or boat shall not be parked on a public street if it creates a hazardous condition.

3. The recreational vehicle and/or boat shall not be stored in a manner where any portion of the vehicle or boat encroaches into the public right-of-way or, if parked within the roadway, encroaches further than reasonably necessary into the public right-of-way.

4. Permits can be obtained on the city website or from the police department or code enforcement. Permits will be issued to the current address to which the recreational vehicle and/or boat is registered. Permits should be requested a minimum of ten days prior to the dates for which the permit is needed.

5. Issuance of permits shall be limited to four permits per month and a maximum of 15 permits during the 12-month period preceding the most recent permit request.

6. Permits shall be conspicuously posted on the recreational vehicle and/or boat in a manner that reasonably ensures visibility.

7. A recreational vehicle and/or boat parked on the roadway shall have traffic cones of no less than 12 inches in height placed on the roadway, within 5 inches from the front and rear corners of the recreational vehicle and/or boat that protrude furthest into the roadway.

8. At no time, shall there be electrical extension cords, or any other connection placed across the sidewalk or other public areas.

9. Any violation of these conditions shall result in the revocation of the permit and/or a citation for violation of Section 10.10.040 of the Hollister Municipal Code.

(Ord. 1091 § 2, 2012; Ord. 1228, § 4, 2023)

A. Violations of Section 10.10.030, or any subdivision of this chapter, shall be assessed an administrative citation pursuant to Chapter 1.18 of the Hollister Municipal Code and shall be in an amount consistent with Section 1.18.040.

B. Owners issued an administrative citation pursuant to this section shall have 15 days from the date of citation in which to comply with the requirements of this chapter. During such 15-day period, owners shall not be cited for a subsequent violation unless such violation occurs 15 days after the prior citation.

(Ord. 1228, § 4, 2023)