As part of the settlement of a class-action lawsuit, San Diego will no longer enforce overnight parking laws that restrict where some vehicles can park. The prohibition has burdened people sleeping in RVs and vans, particularly, with costly tickets or tows.
Section 86.0139 of the San Diego Municipal Code states: “It is unlawful for any person to park or leave standing upon any public street, park road, or parking lot, any oversized vehicle, non-motorized vehicle, or recreational vehicle between the hours of 2:00 am and 6:00 am”.
The city will remove no parking signs for the restricted overnight times, as part of the settlement agreement. However, the recension specifically applies to people who have nowhere else to go. For anyone living the RV or Van life, voluntarily or not, nowhere else to go is the more likely scenario.
Locally, the homeless fall into two broad categories: Those living on the streets (including in tents) and those hunkered down within vehicles. When car, RV, or van is your home, the difference between you and the street could be tickets or towing. Imagine someone impounding your house, because that has been the risk for these vehicle-dwellers.
The Featured Image shows two typical RVs that, before the settlement, would be legal to park in this lot by day but not overnight. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 10, 1/1250 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 1:35 pm PST, Jan. 5, 2024; Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.