RV's and travel trailers without a new city permit would be limited to two hours of parking on Seattle streets or alleys under a sweeping package of legislation
RV's and travel trailers without a new city permit would be limited to two hours of parking on Seattle streets or alleys under a sweeping package of legislation unveiled Friday by City Councilmember Dan Strauss.
The proposed rules would also prohibit unpermitted motorhomes and travel trailers from parking on city streets between midnight and 6 a.m.
Vehicles violating the restrictions could ultimately be impounded without prior notice. The changes are not immediate: the legislation calls for the new restrictions to take effect in 2027, with enforcement beginning by July 31 of that year.
The parking restrictions are part of a six-piece package Strauss is calling the Vehicle Resident Assistance Program, or VRAP.
The proposal pairs tighter rules for RVs with $5 million in existing city funding for outreach, safe lots and storage, along with a new permit intended to give people living in vehicles a temporary legal place to park while they work toward shelter or permanent housing.
“We also know that our city’s current approach to RVs is not working,” Strauss said in announcing the package, arguing the city needs both clearer rules and a more defined route into housing.
Under the proposal, people living in motorhomes or travel trailers who qualify for a Vehicle Resident Assistance Permit could avoid the two-hour limit under certain circumstances.
Permitted vehicles could remain for as long as 72 hours in designated industrial areas, while parking outside those areas would generally remain limited to two hours. Overnight parking for permit holders would be allowed only in an industrial zone and within a geographic area assigned through the permit program.
Eligibility would be limited. The draft legislation calls for the Human Services Department to conduct a one-time census of people or vehicles already on Seattle streets. Only people or vehicles identified through that census would be eligible to apply for the permit; people arriving afterward could still seek other city services but would not qualify for the street-parking permit.
Permit holders would also have to remain engaged with a city or city-contracted caseworker, keep their vehicle licensed and identifiable, follow laws governing noise and waste, and comply with other conditions. A permit could be revoked if a participant turns down six offers of an appropriate safe lot, vehicle storage, shelter, or housing.
The legislation says the city intends to provide as many as three warnings to unpermitted vehicles before enforcement, although the proposed traffic-code changes would give the city authority to impound an RV parked in violation of the new restrictions without prior notice.
The broader package would also create a “shelter storage” program, allowing people entering shelter or housing to store vehicles rather than abandon what may be one of their last major possessions. It would expand city authority to secure locations for safe lots and storage and update Seattle’s roughly 25-year-old junk vehicle rules.
Strauss said roughly one in four people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the region are living in vehicles, and argued the city currently lacks a comprehensive strategy specifically aimed at that population. Vehicle Resident Outreach program manager Jen Manlief said demand has grown beyond the capacity of existing outreach workers.
Strauss' Ballard district has had an unusually high numbers of dilapidated RV's on city streets for years, leading to complaints from the community about related crime, drug use.
The package is scheduled for its first discussion before the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Aug. 11 at 9:30 a.m., with a committee vote anticipated in mid-September.
