How to Get Rid of an RV Parked on Your Street in LA

To get rid of an RV parked on your street in LA, report it to the city under whichever parking rule it is breaking. The three usable hooks are the overnight ban on oversized vehicles in posted zones, the citywide 72-hour limit on parking in one spot, and the restrictions on using a vehicle as a dwelling. You can file through MyLA311, the city’s online abandoned-vehicle form, or LADOT’s dispatch line. Enforcement is slower than most residents expect, especially when someone is living in the RV, so matching your complaint to the right ordinance matters.

Figure Out Which Rule the RV Is Breaking

Before you file, identify the violation. That decides how fast the city can act.

Overnight Oversized Vehicle Ban

LAMC 80.69.4 bans vehicles over 22 feet long or over 7 feet (84 inches) tall from parking between 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM on streets posted with “Oversized Vehicle Restricted” signs.¹ Most RVs exceed one or both. If your block has those signs, an RV parked there overnight is immediately citable with no waiting period. Walk the block first and check.

The 72-Hour Rule

LAMC 80.73.2 makes it illegal for any vehicle to remain parked in the same spot on a public street for 72 or more consecutive hours.² It applies citywide and needs no signage. California Vehicle Code 22651(k) separately authorizes towing a vehicle parked for 72 or more consecutive hours in violation of a local ordinance.³ On streets without oversized-vehicle signs, this is usually the only tool.

Vehicle Dwelling

LAMC 85.02 restricts using a vehicle as a dwelling on residential streets between 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM, and at all times within 500 feet of any park, licensed school, preschool, or daycare.⁴ Indicators the city uses include sleeping inside, obscured windows, bedding, cooking equipment, or meal preparation. If the RV is occupied and sits near a school, park, or daycare, this ordinance gives you a stronger filing angle.

Abandonment

California Vehicle Code 22523 prohibits abandoning a vehicle on any highway or on public or private property. An RV with flat tires, expired registration, or visible deterioration can be reported as abandoned, which opens a separate track from the standard 72-hour process.

What to Gather Before You File

Enforcement officers need specifics. Pull together:

The license plate number and state of registration.
The exact address or nearest intersection.
The make, color, and approximate size of the RV.
The date you first noticed it parked there, so there is a timeline against the 72-hour limit.
Photos, especially of flat tires, expired tags, debris, obscured windows, or a sidewalk the RV is blocking.

If the RV extends over the sidewalk and narrows the walking path, note that. Federal accessibility standards require a minimum 36-inch clear width on walking surfaces.⁵ Photos showing the narrowed passage can strengthen the complaint.

Where to File the Report

Los Angeles gives you several channels. Pick one; filing the same complaint through multiple paths does not speed things up.

MyLA311. Use the smartphone app or myla311.lacity.org. Select the parking violation category, enter the vehicle details and location, and upload your photos. You get a tracking number so you can check progress.⁶
Online abandoned-vehicle form. If the RV appears stored or abandoned, the Parking Violations Bureau has a dedicated complaint form. If the vehicle has no plate at all, call 1-800-ABANDON (1-800-222-6366) instead.⁷
LADOT dispatch. Call (818) 374-4823 or (213) 485-4184 to speak with a representative who logs the report directly.⁸
311 by phone. Calling 311 connects you to general city services, which can route parking complaints to the right department.

When you file, name the ordinance you believe applies. If the RV is in a signed oversized-vehicle zone during the 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM window, say so, because that produces an immediate citation. If you are reporting under the 72-hour rule, state when you first saw the vehicle in the spot. If the RV is occupied and sits within 500 feet of a school, park, preschool, or daycare, mention it; LAMC 85.02 enforcement is stricter in those locations.

What to Expect After You File

A parking enforcement officer is dispatched to inspect the vehicle. The officer cannot tow it just because you complained. For a 72-hour violation, the officer has to inspect the vehicle, note its position, and then verify that it has not moved over the next 72 hours. Only after that observation period can the city impound it.⁷ So expect at least three days before removal becomes legally possible, and often longer because of caseload and tow availability.

In a signed oversized-vehicle zone during banned hours, the officer can cite immediately. Repeated citations in those zones can eventually lead to impound.

If you filed through MyLA311, status updates move the request from “Received” to “In Progress” as the officer begins the observation cycle. If the RV is moved before the 72 hours close, the complaint effectively resets. This is the single most common source of frustration: an owner who moves the vehicle a few feet every couple of days resets the clock each time. The practical counter is to keep filing fresh reports each time it sits still again, and to pair the 72-hour complaint with any other violation that applies, like overnight oversized parking or vehicle dwelling near a school.

When the RV Is Occupied

Many RVs parked long-term on LA streets are serving as someone’s home, and enforcement against occupied vehicles tends to move slowly. Officers may prioritize connecting vehicle dwellers with services through the city’s Homeless Engagement and Response Team (HEART) rather than immediately citing or towing. The city operates limited Safe Parking sites where vehicle dwellers can park legally, though capacity is small and admission is by referral through the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

The same parking laws still apply regardless of whether someone lives in the vehicle, so a complaint is not pointless. But expect the timeline to be longer than for an empty RV someone left out between trips. Reporting under LAMC 85.02 when the vehicle sits near a school, park, preschool, or daycare is usually the fastest path, because those are the locations where the ordinance applies at all hours.⁴

If Your Street Has No Oversized Vehicle Signs

Without the posted signs, you cannot use the 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM ban, and you are stuck relying on the 72-hour rule each time. You can push to get your street designated, but the process is slow and runs through your City Council member.

Under LAMC 80.69.4, a Council member can ask LADOT to investigate whether oversized vehicles on specific street segments are reducing visibility, constricting traffic lanes, or taking up parking that residents and businesses need.¹ To trigger that request, the Council member needs petitions showing support from a substantial number of affected residents on the segments in question. In practice: organize neighbors, collect signatures, and present the case to your Council office with specifics about how the RVs are affecting the block. LADOT investigates and reports to the full City Council, which can authorize the restriction by resolution. Once approved, the city installs the signs and the overnight ban takes effect.

Between petition gathering, the LADOT investigation, and Council approval, this can take months. It is the only way to unlock the immediate-citation tool on a street that doesn’t currently have it.

1
Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code SEC 80.69.4 – Parking of Oversize Vehicles
2
Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code SEC 80.73.2 – Use of Street for Storage of Vehicles
3
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code Section 22651
4
Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code SEC 85.02 – Regulating the Use of Vehicles for Dwelling
5
U.S. Access Board. Chapter 4 – Accessible Routes
6
City of Los Angeles. Request City Services / Report Problems
7
City of Los Angeles: Parking Violations Bureau. Reporting Stored and Abandoned Vehicles Online
8
LADOT. Contact Us