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San Carlos council launches study into RV parking after business, resident complaints
Summary
Following weeks of business complaints and public testimony, San Carlos council directed staff to return with ordinance options, enforcement cost estimates, and outreach plans after a study-session briefing detailed safety, sanitation and enforcement limits for RVs parked on city streets.
City leaders signaled a more assertive approach to long-term recreational-vehicle parking on April 27, directing staff to return with draft ordinance language and a cost-benefit analysis after a two-hour study-session briefing on RV-related complaints concentrated on the city’s east-side commercial area.
Management analyst Quinn Woolly presented data showing multiple 311 reports (Inform San Carlos), roughly 15–20 RVs observed at a time in commercial corridors, 65 sheriff dispatch calls in 2025 and dozens of RVs previously tagged as abandoned. Sheriff’s Bureau representatives described recurring problems staff has logged: trash accumulations, reported dumping into storm drains, generator noise, unsafe propane storage, illegal electrical hookups, and business owners’ claims that RVs are occupying customer and employee parking.
Captain Mike Tobach and Sergeant Jerry Cousins outlined enforcement constraints: municipal code prohibits overnight RV parking between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (Mun. Code 8.40.040), and state law’s 72-hour continuous-parking rule limits immediate towing of vehicles that are parked legally but persistently; occupied RVs cannot be towed where occupants are present. Staff also reported that about 44% of cited cases in the reviewed period were unpaid, raising questions about the deterrent effect of the current $50 citation.
Council members discussed a menu of options identified by staff: (1) a citywide 24/7 prohibition, (2) targeted commercial/industrial-area bans, (3) stepped-up outreach and social-service engagement with the county (PERT/LifeMoves), (4) higher fines for code violations tied to RVs, (5) daytime parking time limits or permit programs for commercial districts, and (6) creation of a safe-parking program. Business owners and residents urged decisive enforcement combined with outreach: several speakers described blocked parking, trash, and public-health concerns and recommended a combined approach of social services plus consistent enforcement and signage.
Councilmembers generally favored a strong response. Several urged either a citywide ban with narrow exceptions or an initial targeted ban in commercial/industrial areas combined with coordinated outreach and signage; others asked staff to return with ordinance language, the enforcement staffing implications and a fiscal estimate of towing/impound costs. Staff said they would return with draft ordinance options, an enforcement cost/benefit analysis, recommended fines and signage, and an outreach plan that coordinates sheriff deputies and county social-service partners.
Why it matters: The study session framed RV parking as both a public-safety and quality-of-life issue for businesses and residents, while emphasizing that meaningful change will require sustained outreach and a realistic enforcement plan that addresses the state’s 72-hour rule and the cost and logistics of towing occupied or long-term vehicles.
