Franklin county Commissioners have agreed to delay a decision as to whether to change the county zoning code to define boat docks on private property as accessory structures.
Accessory structures are thing like boat houses and swimming pools, and under the Franklin County rules, they cannot be built or installed until the primary home is finished.
Boat docks and seawalls are currently exempt from that rule.
Commissioners had scheduled a public hearing for last week to consider whether boat docks should no longer be exempted, but decided to hold off on that decision for a while.
The board said they aren’t actually concerned about people building docks, because that allows them to use their property before a home is built.
What they are concerned about are boat lifts that require electricity.
They have found that once a property has electricity, the property owner might park a camper or RV on the lot and use it for a very long time before ever getting their home built.
County rules allow people to live in a travel trailer on private property for a week if the trailer is self-contained and for up to two weeks if the camper is connected to utilities.
The problem is the county has no way of knowing when someone began living in the trailer so a lot of people have been able to live in campers much longer than they are supposed to.
Commissioners agreed that defining boat docks as accessory structures would not actually address their concerns and would just make it more difficult for people who want to enjoy their waterfront property whether their home is built yet or not.
The commission has asked the county attorney to alter the language of the proposed ordinance so it can be considered at a future public hearing.
Accessory structures are thing like boat houses and swimming pools, and under the Franklin County rules, they cannot be built or installed until the primary home is finished.
Boat docks and seawalls are currently exempt from that rule.
Commissioners had scheduled a public hearing for last week to consider whether boat docks should no longer be exempted, but decided to hold off on that decision for a while.
The board said they aren’t actually concerned about people building docks, because that allows them to use their property before a home is built.
What they are concerned about are boat lifts that require electricity.
They have found that once a property has electricity, the property owner might park a camper or RV on the lot and use it for a very long time before ever getting their home built.
County rules allow people to live in a travel trailer on private property for a week if the trailer is self-contained and for up to two weeks if the camper is connected to utilities.
The problem is the county has no way of knowing when someone began living in the trailer so a lot of people have been able to live in campers much longer than they are supposed to.
Commissioners agreed that defining boat docks as accessory structures would not actually address their concerns and would just make it more difficult for people who want to enjoy their waterfront property whether their home is built yet or not.
The commission has asked the county attorney to alter the language of the proposed ordinance so it can be considered at a future public hearing.
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