Your City, Your Choice: Should RVs be Able to Park Overnight?

The Carlsbad City Council will soon consider passing a new ordinance that would restrict overnight parking of recreational and oversized vehicles citywide to help address the many complaints by residents, visitors and business owners associated with overnight parking of RVs on city streets. 

A draft of the ordinance is available on the city website and at the Transportation Department, 1635 Faraday Ave., Carlsbad, CA 92008. 

The City Council is tentatively scheduled to consider introducing the ordinance on Jan. 29. If the ordinance is approved it would be brought back for adoption at a subsequent meeting and go into effect 30 days after its adoption. 

Members of the public interested in providing feedback about the ordinance are asked to put comments in writing and send via email to transportation@carlsbadca.gov or to the address above. 

City of Carlsbad Deputy Director of Transportation Bryan Jones said the ordinance has become necessary because overnight parking of RVs on city streets has resulted in many problems and complaints, including RV owners dumping trash and sewage on city streets. 

He noted that other coastal cities restrict overnight parking by RVs and have successfully introduced parking permits to address the problem. In October 2012 the City Council directed staff to draft an ordinance that would prohibit overnight parking of RVs within the City of Carlsbad between the hours of 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. The ordinance would include exceptions to accommodate the needs of city residents and guests.  Those are as follows: 

• Yearly residential permit: City of Carlsbad residents who own an RV may apply for a free yearly permit to park their vehicle on a public street at their residence for up to 72 hours. This would allow owners to load and unload vehicles before and after a trip. To reduce impacts on neighbors, residents would be limited to four such three-day allowances per calendar month. Permit holders would be expected to abide by the terms of the permit at the risk of losing the permit, receiving a citation, and having their vehicle towed.
• Temporary 72 hour permit: Carlsbad residents may apply for a temporary permit to allow a guest to park an RV on a public street at their residence. This permit, also free, would allow residents to have guests with an RV park at their residence for up to 72 hours, six times a year, with a minimum of 24 hours between visits.
• Commercial property permit: Hotels or motels could allow guests to park RVs next to these inns on public streets if the RV cannot be accommodated in the property’s parking lot. The city would issue each hotel and motel reusable permits that they can give to guests. This exception would apply only while the RV occupants are paying guests of the hotel or motel.

Jones said the vast majority of RV owners are law-abiding and recognize that one of the costs of owning an oversize vehicle includes storage, either on one’s private property or in a storage facility. He said the ordinance isn’t meant to discourage RV owners from visiting Carlsbad, and pointed out that South Carlsbad State Beach and private campgrounds have space for residents and tourists in RVs. “The purpose of this ordinance is to let law abiding residents and their guests enjoy their RVs in a way that does not negatively affect their neighborhood’s health, safety and quality of life,” said Jones. 

–City of Carlsbad