An online form is now available for residents to check whether their vehicle is listed in the city’s database for the new Large Vehicle Refuge Permit (LVRP). This permit is tied to upcoming parking enforcement that will reshape where and whether people can continue living in RVs and trailers in the city.
Beginning November 1, oversized vehicles without a permit will be subject to tickets and towing under the new two-hour parking limit passed in July. But many RV residents say they’ve received little to no outreach, leaving them worried and confused about how eligibility will be decided.
“We don’t have support,” said Hector, an RV resident that lives in the Bayview. “I don’t have a document or a permit. We’re waiting to see.”
The permit creates a short-term exemption under strict conditions, issued only to a limited number of residents living in what the city defines as a “Large Vehicle”: any RV, trailer or vehicle longer than 22 feet or taller than 7 feet.
The city says the program will “coordinate outreach and support,” but advocates argue it is primarily an enforcement tool that locks eligibility, ties permits to compliance and ultimately requires residents to give up their vehicle homes.
“There was no reason for such a draconian policy,” wrote Guadalupe Velez of the Coalition on Homelessness in a press release. “The city could have simply had the resources available and the situation would be solved for most, and safe parking and RV parks could have been opened for others.”
How to qualify and apply for a permit
Vehicle residents can check their eligibility for the permit through the city’s website, where you’ll need to answer a short questionnaire, in English or Spanish. City staff will review submissions and email you a decision within a week. Enrollment of the permit will take place in person via a street team.
As the program rolls out, the city can add new rules. For now, here’s how the permit works:
- Eligibility: Your vehicle must have been identified during the city’s May 31 large vehicle count and confirmed by the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) as experiencing homelessness.
- Deadline: Applications must be submitted by October 24. Pending applications are temporarily exempt from enforcement until a decision is made.
- Duration: Permits last up to 6 months or until a housing offer is made. Limited extensions require approval of HSH and the Director of Transportation.
- Revocation: Permits can be taken away if you break parking rules, violate the “Good Neighbor Policy,” stop working with a case manager or refuse a housing offer.
- Appeal: If denied, you can request a review and a hearing by phone, email or in person, but you must show proof of San Francisco residency as of May 31. As a last resort, you may file an appeal in Superior Court at your own expense.
No license plate? Residents must apply through a street outreach worker.
The city will use permit data for its programs, though consent to share can be withdrawn by emailing staff. However, doing so may affect access to housing services, relocation assistance or the vehicle buyback program.
According to city officials, the rollout will happen in phases: September will focus on outreach, October on enrolling a limited number of households into the permit, and full enforcement of the two-hour parking limit will begin in November with new signage in place.
How the rules will be implemented
While the permit exempts you from the two-hour parking limit, all other parking laws still apply, including:
- Street cleaning
- 72-hour rule
- Driveway clearance
- Color curb restrictions
- Residential Parking Permit (RPP) limits
- Parking meters
Vehicles with a disability placard are exempt from RPP time limits and meters. Permit holders must also:
- Stay enrolled in case management
- Follow a “Good Neighbor Policy”
- Display the permit sticker on the bumper
- Relinquish their vehicle once a housing offer is accepted
Only one permit will be issued per household, and it does not reserve or guarantee a specific parking spot.
The Good Neighbor Policy requires residents to:
- Keep sidewalks clear
- Store belongings inside vehicles
- Properly dispose of trash and sewage
- Allow Public Works to clear debris around vehicles
- Avoid open flames, utility hookups and loud noise
Violations of the policy lead to warnings and, after three offenses, the permit is taken away. Once revoked, the vehicle is again subject to the two-hour limit. For serious “safety risks,” the city can tow vehicles without notice.
How to appeal if you weren’t counted
If your vehicle wasn’t in the city’s May 31 database, you can appeal by proving you and your vehicle were in San Francisco at that time.
Acceptable documents include paperwork dated on or before May 31:
- Vehicle registration in your name with a San Francisco address
- Parking tickets, insurance papers, towing records
- Papers showing you bought or leased your vehicle
- Vehicle repair or maintenance receipts
You must also sign an affidavit, either online or in person, swearing that the information is true under penalty of perjury. This can be done online or through a street outreach worker once the appeal system is live.
Services tied to the permit
A key condition of holding the permit is that once you accept an offer of shelter or housing, you must relinquish your vehicle. The city launched these programs to encourage residents:
- Vehicle buyback program: Offers cash payments based on the vehicle’s length, measured from bumper to bumper. Proof of ownership is required, and the vehicle must already be in the city’s database. Applications will be handled by street outreach staff.
- Housing services: Includes rapid rehousing subsidies and non-congregate interim housing options.
As the new rules take effect, the next six weeks will determine whether residents remain on the streets, move into housing, or lose their vehicle homes.
“Our message is clear: oversized vehicles can no longer be stored on city streets,” wrote Jackie Thornhill, Communications Manager of the Department of Emergency Management, the lead agency implementing the ordinance. “We are pairing that expectation with real pathways to safe, stable housing, followed by consistent enforcement.”
Mariana Duran contributed reporting to this story.
This is a developing story. City officials did not answer clarifying questions about the permit by press time.