But storage pods can still be parked on neighborhood roads. (Photo: TBD Staff)

Sorry to Montgomery County owners of boat, camping, tent, and other utility trailers: you can no longer park your unhitched trailer on the road in front of your house.

The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously today to close a loophole in the county's existing law banning recreational and heavy commercial vehicle parking on residential roads. Some owners have been going around the law by simply unhitching their trailers (because trailers, apparently, aren't vehicles).

Now you can leave your unhitched trailer on a residential road in only a few circumstances. Trailers can be left on the street for up to 18 hours while they are being actively loaded or unloaded. A broken-down utility trailer can also be parked on the street for up to 48 hours.

The trailers can cause problems for pedestrians and drivers alike; it can be tough for motorists to spot small children coming from behind the bulky trailers, Councilman Phil Andrews (D-Dist. 3) said today.

Although street storage pods can cause the same kinds of problems, this law doesn't address them since they're regulated under a different code.