Lakeville Wants Semis and Trailers Off Its Streets. Here's the Plan

TLDR

• Lakeville police want to cut the street parking limit from 48 hours to 24 hours.
• The draft would ban semis and semi-trailers on all public streets, except for loading and unloading.
• Trailers that aren't hooked to a vehicle couldn't be parked on the street at all.
• Nothing's final yet. This was a Sept. 21 discussion, and a real ordinance comes back later.

If there's one thing Lakeville neighbors complain about all the time, it's parking. At the Sept. 21 Lakeville City Council meeting, the police chief laid out a draft plan to clean it up. It goes after semis, campers, and trailers that sit on the street for weeks. "Almost as exciting as Expo 2031," the chief joked. "But maybe not quite."

What's the Problem?

The chief named two big complaints:

• Semis parked on public streets. Right now they're allowed in commercial and industrial areas. The city has been adding "no parking" signs one street at a time. But drivers just move to the next spot. "We're kind of chasing our tail," the chief said.
• Streets used as storage. Think trailers, campers, boats, and construction gear that neighbors leave out for weeks.

Lakeville's winter rule (no street parking from 2 to 6 a.m.) helps from November to April. But there's nothing like it the rest of the year.

What Would Change?

Here's what's in the draft:

• 24-hour limit instead of 48. You couldn't leave any vehicle on a public street for more than 24 hours. Today it's 48, per the current city code.
• No semis or semi-trailers on any public street, even in industrial areas. The one exception is loading, unloading, or servicing a business.
• No unhitched trailers. A camper, boat trailer, or utility trailer sitting alone on the street would break the rule. If it's still hooked to your truck, it's OK for up to 24 hours. So loading the boat the night before a trip is fine.
• Clearer definitions of commercial and recreational vehicles, using MnDOT's vehicle types.

This came out of the Public Safety Committee back in July. The city attorney hasn't reviewed it yet.

Where Would the Semis Go?

Council Member Lee asked the tough question. He sees "a ton of trucks" on streets like Jacquard in the industrial park. If they're banned, "where do they go then? Are we creating a problem elsewhere?"

The chief said it's a mix. Some drivers are waiting for a delivery time. Others live in Lakeville and just have nowhere to park their rig on days off. He said the Mega Stop area has some paid parking, but he didn't know the details.

Another council member said the bigger issue is that nearby cities already cracked down. "I feel like we're getting taken advantage of," they said. They pointed to the old Volkswagen lot in Burnsville that's now paid semi parking. One suggestion: it's a good business idea for someone with land on the south end of town.

The MnDOT lot by I-35 and 185th Street and a lot off Kenrick Avenue near County Road 70 also came up. The chief said those already have signs and police can ticket there.

What About a Year-Round Overnight Ban?

Council Member Bermel asked about making the 2 to 6 a.m. ban year-round. The chief said it's "the cleanest, it's the easiest, everybody understands it." It would also mean no re-teaching people every fall before snowplow season. But the Public Safety Committee didn't pick that option. Bermel asked that it stay on the table.

Will This Actually Get Enforced?

Mostly when someone complains. "We don't have the staff be out driving around all hours of the day looking for parking violations," the chief said. Officers also have leeway for things like holidays or family visiting from out of town.

One council member asked about the old trick of moving a car a few feet to reset the clock. The chief said yes, technically that still works for regular cars. But for semis and unhitched trailers, the clock doesn't matter. They just aren't allowed at all.

And if you live in an HOA with private roads? This doesn't apply to you. Your HOA rules still do. The new rules only cover public streets.

The Bottom Line

Nothing changes yet. Next, the police department will write a final version with the city attorney. Then it goes back to the council for a vote at a future meeting. Until then, the 48-hour limit is still the rule. The winter 2 to 6 a.m. ban starts again Nov. 1.

If you store a trailer or camper on the street, now's a good time to plan for somewhere else to keep it. And if you've got opinions, the council wants to hear them before the vote. You can check Lakeville's common code rules and the rules on semi-trailers and storage containers. This isn't the first time Lakeville has tackled a long-running complaint. See how the city finally solved the rail car problem. For more on the police department's priorities, see our Q1 2026 Lakeville police report, and for more of the city's rule updates, check out the Lakeville zoning update on chickens, bees, and decks.