ESCONDIDO — The City Council has adopted an ordinance with tighter restrictions on RV parking, effectively banning it on highways, streets, alleys, public ways, and other public spaces, with certain exceptions.
The council voted 4-1 on Aug. 7 to approve the new restrictions, which follow years of complaints regarding long-term RV parking on city streets and property.
According to staff, RV parking on city streets and property creates traffic safety hazards by obstructing driver visibility at intersections and curves, blocking driveway access on narrow residential streets, and reducing parking for residents and businesses. The city has also faced problems with trash, litter and illegal wastewater discharge by RV owners during extended parking.
Current RV parking options include parking on residential private property, travel trailer parks such as the Escondido RV Resort, and Dixon Lake Campground, which limits stays to 14 days in a 30-day period with a daily fee. Staff also noted that there are travel trailer parks throughout the county.
Some of the exceptions to the city’s new parking restrictions include allowing RV parking within 100 yards of the owner’s registered address for up to 48 hours before and after a trip to load and unload; parking for emergency repairs as long as the vehicle can still be moved; parking for RVs belonging to federal, state, or local agencies in city lots; parking during a proclaimed city emergency at the discretion of the director of emergency services, and when the city issues a special event permit allowing RV parking in designated areas.
The ordinance also permits RV parking in city lots with posted signage, although the city currently does not have any such lots or signage. According to city staff, the ordinance allows the creation of these RV parking lots at the discretion of the city manager with the council’s approval.
City staff initially proposed a 24-hour loading/unloading window, but after discussion, the council extended it to 48 hours. Councilmember Mike Morasco recalled how it takes his neighbors a little over a day to load and unload their RV before a road trip and worried that a 24-hour restriction would be too short.
Discussions about stricter RV parking regulations began in January 2023, but the City Council decided to wait until more information was available regarding permits, city regulations, and potential safe parking lots for unhoused individuals living in mobile homes.
For enforcement, the Escondido Police Department will focus on education during the initial implementation and issue discretionary warnings.
The city’s Public Works Department will install 58 signs at roadway entrances to notify drivers of the new rules and public notices will be posted in English and Spanish on the city’s website and social media pages.
Once enforcement begins, infractions could result in impoundment, citations and a misdemeanor charge after two violations. The ordinance also permits the police department to tow and impound an RV after a single violation.
Councilmember Consuelo Martinez cast the lone vote against the ordinance, citing concerns that it would effectively ban RV parking throughout the city without providing any free, safe options for people currently living in their RVs.
“If this goes forward, we don’t have a place to direct people with RVs,” Martinez said. “There’s no place designed to permit RV parking.”
Mayor Dane White noted that the city currently lacks the resources to provide a safe parking lot where unhoused individuals can park their RVs or other motor vehicles.
Other North County cities with RV parking restrictions include Oceanside, Carlsbad and Encinitas.
