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Seattle City Council set to vote on RV parking enforcement
The Seattle City Council is set to vote on a plan that could change how the city deals with people living in RVs, from using funds for outreach services to a permit system that could lead to tickets or even towing.
SEATTLE, Wash. - The Seattle City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a six-part proposal that would direct $5 million in existing city funding toward services for people living in vehicles while creating new parking restrictions for motorhomes and travel trailers.
The Vehicle Resident Assistance Program, introduced by Councilmember Dan Strauss in August, would expand outreach, create vehicle storage options for people entering shelter or housing, and establish a permit system for people living in motorhomes and travel trailers on city streets.
The proposal has drawn support for expanding safe parking and housing services, but some advocates worry the new restrictions could leave people without a place to go. Nearby business owners, meanwhile, want to know how the city would enforce the rules.
What would the proposed RV rules change?
Big picture view:
One of the most consequential parts of the proposal is a new permit system for people living in motorhomes and travel trailers on Seattle streets.
Under the proposed rules, eligible residents who engage with services, follow existing laws and comply with basic requirements could receive a Vehicle Resident Assistance Permit. The permit would allow them to continue living in their vehicles while waiting for appropriate shelter or housing.
Motorhomes and travel trailers without permits would be limited to two hours of street parking. Beginning April 30, 2027, the proposed ordinance would also prohibit those vehicles from parking on city streets or alleys between midnight and 6 a.m. unless they qualify for an exception, including through a valid permit.
Violating vehicles could be impounded without prior notice under the proposed ordinance.
The legislation also sets deadlines for implementation. The city would have to establish a process for receiving and processing permit applications by April 30, 2027, with enforcement required to begin by July 31, 2027.
The rules would apply specifically to motorhomes and travel trailers — not every type of vehicle someone might live in.
Where would the $5 million go?
Strauss introduced the Vehicle Resident Assistance Program on Aug. 7, saying Seattle needs a more comprehensive approach to helping people living in vehicles find shelter and housing.
"This legislation is about ensuring people who live in vehicles are not forgotten — but that they’re cared for and have a clear road to housing," Strauss said in the announcement.
The six-part package would direct $5 million in existing city funding toward expanded services, including outreach, safe parking, shelter storage and pathways to housing.
Another part would allow the city to store vehicles when their owners move into shelter or housing. The goal is to reduce the risk of people losing their vehicles and belongings when they accept an offer of shelter.
The package would also give the city more flexibility to open safe lots and storage facilities, and clarify Seattle’s existing junk vehicle law to help parking enforcement address abandoned or improperly stored vehicles.
(File / FOX 13)
Glassyard Commons aims to provide another option
In South Park, crews are working on Glassyard Commons, a safe parking site and tiny house village being developed on Washington State Department of Transportation property near 2nd Avenue Southwest and West Marginal Way Southwest.
The site is planned to include 72 RV parking spaces and 20 tiny homes, with capacity for approximately 140 people. The Low Income Housing Institute is developing and operating the site, which is expected to open in mid-November.
Jen Manlief, vehicle resident programs manager at Vehicle Resident Outreach, said safe parking needs to include more than a place to leave a vehicle.
"It's not just a place to park, it is mental health care and case management and someone walking alongside you towards those next steps."
The proposed city legislation is intended to expand those kinds of services and create a more structured path from living in a vehicle to shelter or housing.
Housing advocates warn about displacement
Local perspective:
During public comment at a Sept. 22 Public Safety Committee meeting, housing advocates urged council members to consider whether enough safe parking and shelter options would be available before the new restrictions take effect.
Beatrix Kelly, housing advocacy and community engagement coordinator at the Low Income Housing Institute, warned that restricting where RVs can park could also displace the people living inside them.
"By working to take RVs off the street, you are subsequently pushing humans out of their living spaces and into those streets," Kelly said.
Erica Clawson, another public commenter who supported safe parking options but opposed the legislation, told council members: "Seattle does not have enough housing,"
Taylor Adams, a support services manager at the Low Income Housing Institute who said she had previously lived in a car, asked council members to fund more RV sites. Adams also raised concerns about the limited availability of shelter beds.
"I was very unsafe, so I'm asking that you please consider funding more RV sites. We don't have enough shelter beds. Let's, you know, if we move them out of our RVs and say move them into shelters, there's not enough beds," Adams said.
Other public commenters also called for additional safe lots and more clarity about how the permit process would work.
The concerns reflect a central question surrounding the proposal: whether Seattle can expand the services people need while enforcing new limits on where some vehicles can park.
An RV homeless encampment in Seattle. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Business owner wants enforcement plan
What they're saying:
Nearby businesses also want to know how the new rules would work in practice.
Dan Sherman, whose business, Pacific Plumbing Supply, is in the area, said he wants a clear plan for monitoring the site and enforcing the rules.
"I think that it's going to take a lot of monitoring. It's going to take, policing has to happen. There's going to have to be a presence out here," Sherman said.
Sherman said his business has dealt with theft, break-ins, vandalism and illegal dumping. He said he is concerned about whether the city will have the resources and enforcement presence needed to address those issues.
"I'm not comfortable, as is really the bottom line. We haven't seen it work well before," Sherman said.
His concerns highlight another challenge facing the proposal: how the city will balance support for people living in vehicles with nearby businesses' concerns about safety and enforcement.
The legislation itself does not establish that Glassyard Commons residents have caused the problems Sherman described.
What's next:
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the Vehicle Resident Assistance Program package on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
If approved, the city would have months to establish the permit process before the new restrictions and enforcement deadlines take effect.
FOX 13 reached out to Seattle police about staffing and which agencies would be responsible for enforcing the new rules. The Chief Operating Officer said SPD currently has 87 parking enforcement officers and has the budget to hire eight more.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Seattle City Council, the City of Seattle, and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.