The population of Cathedral City is booming and bringing more people and more businesses into our community. One of the results of this exceptional growth is more commercial vehicles and recreation vehicles (RVs) in residential neighborhoods.

The City has been contacted by many residents who are concerned about maintaining the residential atmosphere of their neighborhoods to maintain public safety and avoid visual blight that decreases property values.

Parking large vehicles in residential neighborhoods is a safety issue because large trucks and RVs can block sightlines both for pedestrians and children playing nearby, as well as for vehicles driving through the streets or entering the streets from private driveways.

No one wants commercial vehicles and RVs blocking their desert and mountain vistas or cluttering neighborhood streets.

Changes to the ordinance are in two areas: RV parking and commercial vehicle parking.

Beginning November 9th, RVs can only be parked on residential streets for up to 36 hours, four times a month, to pack, unpack and to clean the vehicle. In the past, RVs could be parked on the street for 72-hours.

Commercial Vehicles, under the revised ordinance, are not permitted to be parked on any kind of city street between the hours of 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM. Commercial Vehicles are defined in the Cathedral City Municipal Code as “a vehicle of a type required to be registered under the California Vehicle Code and used or maintained for the transportation of persons for hire, compensation or profit, or designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property.”

Exceptions are made for vehicles making pickups and deliveries or used in the actual and bona fide repair, alteration, remodeling or construction of any building or structure located off the designated truck route; vehicles owned by public utilities or licensed contractors when being used for construction, installation or repair of a public utility; tow vehicles operating under a contract with the City to conduct towing operations for public safety purposes with a City issued decal clearly visible.