Sacramento will consider pausing enforcement of RVs on front yards after resident frustration
Sacramentans angered over a recent wave of citations have forced the city to consider pausing enforcement of RVs and boats in front yards.
The City Council’s Law and Legislation Committee approved drafting a moratorium on this enforcement on Tuesday after hearing from residents cited in the last two months. A moratorium, which could take up to 90 days to draft, must head to the City Council for final passing.
Among Tuesday’s speakers was Cathy Hicks, one of more than 10 people cited in the College/Glen neighborhood. Hicks said she kept her RV in her front yard for four years and never had an issue until receiving a citation in January.
The RV is now parked in a Folsom storage unit, which requires a $100 monthly charge.
“We want to be able to take our young grandchildren and make memories, but now we have an added expense,” Hicks, 71, said.
The uptick in enforcement led residents, including Hicks, to reach out to Councilmember Eric Guerra who represents the District 6 area. These homeowners violated the Sacramento city codes which state trailer coaches should not be parked on residential property within 5 feet of the “adjoining real property line” and “within the setback area of a dwelling.”
A setback generally refers to the required minimum distance between a building or structure.
Code enforcement is generally complaint-driven, said city’s Code and Housing Enforcement Chief Peter Lemos. He said the recent College-Glen violations stemmed from one complaint of a vehicle parked in the setback area. The person in violation argued that other nearby residents were breaking city code when an officer went out to issue the citation.
“The officer said it’s not right that he only cited them, so they proactively did the whole street,” Lemos said in an interview Tuesday.
The issue remains widespread across the city and warrants more discussion, according to Guerra who requested the moratorium. He said homes in Sacramento vary in size and many residents don’t have the space to put RVs or boats in their backyards. The goal is to come up with a better solution for residents, Guerra added.
“We want the residents to work with code enforcement on a good policy for the future,” Guerra said.
Sam Garnica, a 20-year Natomas resident, hopes the city eventually eliminates the code. His trailer was cited in February for multiple violations with an estimated fine of $1,000 if he did not move it.
Garnica, 61, has since moved the trailer to a campground about 20 minutes away from his home.
“My trailer wasn’t bothering anyone,” Garnica said.
It is not yet known when the council will discuss the potential moratorium.
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
