Can you sleep in your car or RV overnight in San Diego?
Mostly no. City law bans living in a vehicle from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and near homes or schools, and RVs can't park on public streets from 2 to 6 a.m. A 2024 settlement limits how police enforce the first rule, not the second. Book a campsite.
- Vehicle-living ban
- 9 p.m.-6 a.m.
- RVs on streets
- Not 2-6 a.m.
- RV fine
- $100
- Oversized vehicle
- Over 27 ft and 7 ft
And anytime within 500 ft of homes or schools
Or within 50 ft of an intersection
No warning required
Length AND height
The short version
- San Diego's Vehicle Habitation Ordinance, passed May 15, 2019, bans living in a vehicle from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., and at any time within 500 feet of a home or school.
- A separate rule, the Neighborhood Parking Protection Ordinance, bars recreational vehicles from public streets between 2 and 6 a.m. and within 50 feet of an intersection at any time.
- RV and oversized-vehicle violations carry a $100 fine with no warning required, per the City's fact sheet.
- An April 2024 settlement of nearly $3.2 million (Bloom v. City of San Diego) narrowed how police enforce the vehicle-living ban for three years; it didn't touch the RV parking rule.
- City residents can buy $1.50 overnight permits for an RV on their own block, up to three nights at a time and 72 a year.
Road-tripping in a van, or just too tired to drive back up the 5? San Diego has two overlapping sets of rules about sleeping in vehicles, and a 2024 court settlement that changed how one of them is enforced. Here's what each actually says, using the City's own pages and reporting on the settlement, checked October 6, 2026. This covers the City of San Diego; Coronado, Oceanside and the other cities set their own rules.
Rule 1: the vehicle-living ban
The City Council passed the current Vehicle Habitation Ordinance on May 15, 2019, replacing a 1983 law a federal judge had found too broad. It bans living in a vehicle between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., and at any time within 500 feet of a residence or a school. The ordinance counts sleeping, bathing and preparing meals as living in a vehicle.
Rule 2: RVs off the street overnight
The Neighborhood Parking Protection Ordinance keeps recreational vehicles off public streets from 2 to 6 a.m., and within 50 feet of an intersection at any time. It covers campers, trailers, motorhomes, boats and similar vehicles. A separate oversized-vehicle rule applies to anything longer than 27 feet and taller than 7 feet. Violations are $100, with no prior warning required.
Where you can legally sleep
In the city
North County state beaches
Pins are approximate. State beach campsites are booked through ReserveCalifornia and fill early in summer. Source: OpenStreetMap and California State Parks listings, checked October 6, 2026.
See these on the full San Diego map- Visiting a friend with an RV? City residents can buy a Temporary Overnight Recreational Vehicle Permit for $1.50 per 24 hours, valid only on their own block, up to three consecutive days and 72 days a year. The resident applies, with proof of residency.
- Parked for days? Don't leave any vehicle in one street spot for days on end; the City enforces a 72-hour limit on parked vehicles.
- Beach lots aren't campsites. Many City and state beach lots close at night.
Rather sleep in a bed? Our where to stay guide breaks it down by area and budget.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
City of San Diego · Checked October 6, 2026
RV 2-6 a.m. and 50-foot rules, permit cost and limits
City of San Diego · Checked October 6, 2026
Oversized vehicle definition, $100 fine, no warning required
KQED · May 2019
Ordinance date, hours, 500-foot rule, definition of living in a vehicle
OB Rag · April 2024
Bloom settlement amount and enforcement limits