The Village Council recently amended Village Code to define the term "utility trailer" and amended the terms and conditions under which utility trailers may be stored on residential property. Anyone who is parking a work-related trailer in front of their home is asked to review the conditions required for an exemption from the requirements or call the Community Development Department at (561) 841-3365 for clarification.

Specifically, the Ordinance provides as follows:

A. Defines the term utility trailer as “an enclosed or open trailer intended to be towed by a motorized vehicle in order to transport cargo and/or provide a product or service at a remote location.”

B. Requires that utility trailers within a residential zoning district be stored within a fully enclosed garage or within the rear or side yard of a residential lot within the R-1 or R-2 zoning district subject to the following additional requirements:

• The utility trailer shall be visually screened from abutting properties and alleyways in the form of a wall, fence or gate or a hedge or other living vegetation, each with a minimum opacity of 
• ninety percent. The use of chain link fencing with windscreens is prohibited, and trailers are not required to be screened from the right-of-way providing access to the rear or side yard if 
• such equipment is located behind a gate at least six (6) feet in height and no more than twenty (20) feet high.
• Only one utility trailer may be stored on a lot, and the height of the trailer is limited to ten (10) feet, exclusive of fixed mechanical equipment.
• Utility trailers are not permitted within the parking area or common area of any multi-family or mixed-use residential community unless specifically approved through the site plan and 
• appearance review process.
• The utility trailer must be owned or exclusively used by the resident of the property.
• Utility trailers shall not extend beyond the front building line and utility trailers parked in the rear yard shall be located at least five feet from the property line.
• The trailer shall be currently registered and licensed (with a plate and registration sticker) and shall not be used for living or sleeping quarters or for the storage of household goods or personal property unrelated to the use of the utility trailer for commercial purposes.

Exemptions

C. A resident who demonstrates that he or she cannot meet the screening or setback requirements for the parking a utility trailer on a lot within the R-1 or R-2 residential zoning districts may apply for an exemption provided that the resident:

• Stored the utility trailer on the property on or before March 24, 2022; and 
• The utility trailer is necessary for the commercial livelihood of the resident.

The application shall be filed with the Community Development Department and all exemption requests shall be considered by the Planning Commission. The exemption shall not run with the property and a change in occupancy shall terminate the approval.

Ordinance amendments

See the language of the Code amendments, specifically the underlined portion of Section 18-33 defining "Utility trailer," and the underlined portions of Section 18-34 (g), addressing parking and screening requirements.

For questions about the trailer parking ordinance and exemptions to it, contact the Community Development Department at (561) 841-3365.