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Ordinance No. ____
Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto ProhibiƟng Rental of Vehicles for Human HabitaƟon
The Council of the City of Palo Alto does ORDAIN as follows:
SECTION 1. Findings and DeclaraƟons. The City Council finds and declares as follows:
A. The pracƟce of renƟng out recreaƟonal vehicles or other oversized vehicles for use as living or sleeping quarters, known as “vanlording,” is a growing concern in many ciƟes, including the City of Palo Alto.
B. RecreaƟonal vehicles used for vanlording are parked on public streets, occupying valuable and limited street parking spaces.
C. Allowing vanlords to rent out vehicles in the public right of way facilitates private profit- taking from the use of a public resource.
D. The pracƟce of vanlording is unlicensed and unregulated and therefore oŌen associated with unregistered, poorly maintained, and inadequately insured vehicles.
E. Vanlords offer renters a place to stay without responsibly addressing health and safety issues that can arise when inhabited vehicles are parked on public streets. These issues include improper waste disposal, unsanitary condiƟons, illegal parking, tapping into or blocking fire hydrants or other uƟlity infrastructure, and the creaƟon of fires.
F. The renƟng out of vehicles for human habitaƟon is not currently regulated. Unlike tradiƟonal landlords and property management enƟƟes, vanlords are not explicitly subject to laws that require the upkeep and maintenance of rental housing. Accordingly, those who rent from them are not protected by laws that secure tenants’ rights or even basic habitability standards.
G. With this ordinance, the City Council intends to prohibit vanlording within the City of Palo Alto.
SECTION 2. Chapter 9.06 Rental of Vehicles for Human HabitaƟon is hereby added to Title 9 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code, to read as follows:
9.06.010 Rental of recreaƟonal vehicles for living or sleeping quarters – ProhibiƟon.
No person shall rent, lease, let out, or otherwise loan any oversized vehicle which is subsequently uƟlized for living or use as sleeping quarters on any street, alley, or city-owned or city-controlled premises in exchange for money, goods, or services.
For the purposes of this Chapter, “oversized vehicle” means any vehicle exceeding seven feet in height or exceeding twenty feet in overall length or exceeding seven feet in width (including any *NOT YET APPROVED*
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load or accessory thereon other than antennas), provided that this definiƟon shall not apply to vehicles which exceed these dimensions solely because of modificaƟons required to accommodate a disability and the vehicle is lawfully displaying a disabled placard or license.
It shall not be necessary to prove that the person who rented, leased, let out, or otherwise loaned any vehicle which was subsequently uƟlized for living or sleeping quarters intended or knew that the vehicle would be used for living or use as sleeping quarters on any street, alley, or city-owned premises.
9.06.020 Rental of recreaƟonal vehicles for living or sleeping quarters – AdverƟsements prohibited.
No person shall adverƟse for rent, lease, let out, or loan in any newspaper, or through any other medium including online, social media, or other plaƞorms, any oversized vehicle available for the purpose of uƟlizing the vehicle for living or use as sleeping quarters on any street, alley, or city-owned or city-controlled premises.
9.06.030 Rental of Vehicles in the Public Right of Way
It shall be unlawful for any person who deals in or whose business involves the rental or leasing of vehicles, including recreaƟonal vehicles (RVs) or other oversized vehicles, to park, store, or leave standing any such vehicles, whether occupied or vacant, on any street, alley, or other public right-of-way during the conduct of such business. This prohibiƟon does not apply to a vehicle owned only for personal use and not involved in the business of rental or leasing of vehicles, if otherwise legally parked.
9.06.050 Rental of Space in the Public Right of Way
No person or enƟty other than the City of Palo Alto and any of its departments or designees or other appropriate public enƟty shall have the authority to sell, lease, license, permit, reserve or facilitate the reserving of any street, way, alley, highway, road, parkway, parking space or other public right of way or City-controlled parking lot in the City of Palo Alto without wriƩen authorizaƟon from the City. Any person who purports to sell, lease, license, permit, reserve or facilitate reserving of space in the public right of way via a wriƩen or oral agreement of any kind, with or without compensaƟon, is in violaƟon of this secƟon.
9.06.060 Enforcement
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Each day in which a violaƟon of this Chapter occurs shall consƟtute a separate violaƟon of this Chapter. Each vehicle in violaƟon of this Chapter shall consƟtute a separate violaƟon of this Chapter. ViolaƟons are enforceable through any penalty available by law, including those specified in Title 1 of this Code.
SECTION 3. Severability. If any provision, clause, sentence or paragraph of this ordinance, or the applicaƟon to any person or circumstances, shall be held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the other provisions of this Ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or applicaƟon and, to this end, the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby declared to be severable.
SECTION 4. EffecƟve Date. This ordinance shall be effecƟve on the thirty-first day aŌer the date of its adopƟon.
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SECTION 5. CEQA. The City Council finds and determines that this Ordinance is not a project within the meaning of secƟon 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) because it has no potenƟal for resulƟng in physical change in the environment, either directly or ulƟmately.
INTRODUCED:
PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTENTIONS:
ABSENT:
ATTEST:
APPROVED:
______________________________ ____________________________ City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ____________________________
City Manager
______________________________
Assistant City AƩorney ____________________________
Chief of Police