Almost everyone who pitches a tent in a backyard or parks an RV at Walmart in Spotsylvania County is violating an ordinance that dates back to the 1980s.
No innocent backyard campers have been charged with violating the ordinance, but Spotsylvania officials have been trying to figure a way to deal with the law since it came up in November, to the surprise of the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission.
On Wednesday, the Planning Commission held a public hearing addressing proposed amendments to the ordinance. After listening to a presentation on the proposed changes, the commission unanimously recommended that the Board of Supervisors eliminate the ordinance entirely.