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San Francisco moving forward to ban RVs on city streets

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Published  July 22, 2025 7:03pm PDT
San Francisco
KTVU FOX 2
SF passes RV ban, impacting unhoused families

SF passes RV ban, impacting unhoused families

San Francisco is officially moving forward with an ordinance making it illegal to park RVs on city streets for more than two hours.

The Brief

    • A final vote at Tuesday's San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting passed the RV ban.
    • Homeless advocates fear the ban will increase homelessness, particularly among seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children.
    • Vs that were in the city before May are eligible for a permit for six months until housing is available.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - San Francisco is officially moving forward with a controversial ordinance making it illegal to park RVs on city streets for more than two hours.

Before it was passed, homeless advocates, including former supervisor Dean Preston, urged the board to vote no at a rally on the steps of City Hall. 

The backstory:

The city’s plan is to set aside $13 million for two years to help more than 400 families living in RVs secure housing.

"Our streets are not homeless shelters," said SF board president Rafael Mandelman. 

The ordinance includes a permit system which allows people to park overnight in their RVs for up to six months while seeking housing and a buyback program for people to sell their vehicle after they get into a home.

What they're saying:

Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who voted against the plan, said passing the RV ban rolls back benefits from Prop C, which uses big business taxes to support homeless services and housing.

"We have no business dismantling the fragile refuge that residents have managed to secure," said Fielder.

Opponents fear the new law will drive families with children and seniors living in RVs even deeper into homelessness.

"I bought my RV with my last $2,000 in my savings account when I lost my job and I lost my housing," said RV resident Armando Martinez. "How am I going to give up my RV for a shelter bed where I have to live with x amount of people?"

The other side:

Proponents said it will help restore the city’s cleanliness.

"We have a tremendous homeless problem in San Francisco," said Mandelman. "But the solution to that is not to convert our roads into shelters.

What's next:

The new law will go into effect in the fall as the city begins gradually issuing permits to people living in RVs.

Any new RVs that come to the city will not be able to get a permit.

People who use the permit must accept housing at the end of the 6 months, or be ticketed or towed.

San FranciscoHomeless Crisis