The San Carlos City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 27, will discuss new limits on RVs parked in the commercial areas on the city's east side, the Palo Alto Daily Post reported.

Why it matters: Business owners say RVs parked long-term are taking spaces from workers and customers, and neighboring Palo Alto just passed its own restrictions.

The proposal

  • RV parking in east-side commercial areas would be capped at four hours between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
  • The city already bans RV parking on public streets from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., with $50 tickets. Assistant City Manager Nil Blackburn suggested raising that to $100 for a first ticket, then $200 and $500.

Why not a full ban?

At an April 27 meeting, council members said they were interested in a citywide RV ban. Blackburn found that nearly every outright RV ban she researched has been challenged in court, the Post reported.

In April the sheriff's office, which polices San Carlos, was issuing $50 tickets and marking vehicles with 72-hour stickers but hadn't been able to clear 15 to 20 vehicles, the Post reported at the time.

What residents said

A city survey drew 52 residents and 18 businesses. Residents were split, with 28 saying RV parking is a problem and 24 saying it isn't. Among businesses, 14 said it's a problem and two said it isn't.

The regional picture

On Oct. 19, the Palo Alto City Council voted to ban RVs within 100 feet of any home from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.