Oversized and Lived-In Vehicle Enforcement

The Oversized and Lived-In Vehicle Enforcement (OLIVE) pilot program is intended to help address the environmental and safety issues caused by oversized vehicles, including lived-in vehicles, parked on city streets. The program aims to:

Identify areas impacted by the parking of oversized and lived-in vehicles on city streets.
Establish temporary tow-away zones to allow clean up of impacted areas and encourage vehicles to relocate.
Analyze the feasibility of installing permanent parking restrictions at select locations.

Ongoing funding for this program allows for a biannual citywide inventories of oversized and presumed lived-in vehicles parked on city streets. Up to 50 sites will be identified each year for temporary tow-away parking restrictions (approximately one month in duration) to help facilitate the clean up and street sweeping of the area and encourage people to move their vehicles out of the restricted zone. Vehicles that are not voluntarily moved from tow away zones will be subject to towing and impound.

Though modest in scale, this program is an important first step that will lay the foundation for future investments to better regulate oversized vehicles throughout San José. The program will scale up in Fiscal Year 2025-2026 to include 50 temporary sites.

How sites are chosen

Parking-restricted sites are prioritized based on the severity of parking concerns and associated issues such as but not limited to;

How near vehicles are parked to sensitive areas including schools, parks waterways, storm drains, and emergency interim housing sites.
The number of vehicles congregated in an area.
Site conditions including levels of observed trash, biowaste, and potential obstructions.
How near vehicles are parked to Priority Safety Corridors and bike lanes and.
City Council office priorities.

City Goals Supported by Oversized and Lived-In Vehicle Enforcement

City Manager’s Budget Addendum #16: Oversized Vehicle Regulation Pilot Program
City Council Focus Areas: Increasing Community Safety and Cleaning up our Neighborhoods

Timeline

Timeline	Action
Summer/fall 2024	Met with City Council offices and partner City departments to discuss approach, expected outcomes, and next steps.
August/September 2024	Developed technology tools and process to survey all city streets and inventory all oversized vehicles.
September and October 2024	Drove all San José streets to identify where oversized and potentially lived-in vehicles are parked, where they were congregating in larger numbers, the conditions around the parking areas, and how close they were to sensitive sites.
November 2024	Analyzed inventory data to select 30 temporary parking-restricted sites.
December 2024	Began outreach to neighborhoods with proposed parking-restricted sites and to people living in vehicles parked in the sites.
January through June 2025	Established parking-restricted sites, communicated with residents and council offices, and updated inventory map.
Fiscal Year 20205-2026 and ongoing	Establish and enforce 50 OLIVE sites per year.

Updates

July 2025: Published OLIVE dashboard.
June 2025: Completed 33 Fiscal Year 2024-2025 sites.
March 2025: Start of second citywide inventory of oversized and lived-in vehicles. The inventory will inform our analysis and identification of 50 OLIVE sites for Fiscal Year 2025-2026.
January 16, 2025: Start of enforcement at first program site.
January 9, 2025: Start of signing and notification at first program site.
January 6, 2025: Information memorandum to City Council published and map updated with locations of OLIVE sites.
November 8, 2024: Map of oversized and presumed lived-in vehicles published.

Inventory and site Map

Above image: A map of oversized and presumed lived-in vehicle locations. Updated January 7, 2025. Click on image to open an interactive map with OLIVE site locations in a new window.

Resources

If you need help with housing or want to learn about resources available to you, contact Here4You Call Center at 408-385-2400, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
City Manager’s Budget Addendum #16 (Fiscal Year 2024-2025)
City Manager’s Budget Addendum #4 (Fiscal Year 2025-2026)
Information Memorandum updating City Council on OLIVE implementation, January 6, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the OLIVE sites located?

How can I request a parking-restricted site in my neighborhood?

Where are people supposed to go?

This program is specifically targeting congregations of oversized and lived-in vehicles parked near defined sensitive sites: schools, waterways, and emergency interim housing sites, as well as limited exceptions made at the direction of City Council. It does not attempt to push vehicles off city streets entirely. Residents who need help with housing or want to learn about available resources can contact Here4You Call Center at 408-385-2400, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Why are the restrictions temporary for the initial 30 sites?

Will you be towing vehicles or giving out tickets?

We will post signs and place flyers on vehicles before any enforcement action is taken. The law only requires 24 hours of advance notice, but we intend to provide more whenever feasible, up to a week ahead of enforcement. Staff will try to connect with vehicle owners to provide them with information on parking rules and restrictions before taking any enforcement action. Parking Officers will encourage and provide opportunities for vehicle owners to voluntarily comply with the temporary tow-away zone. If people do not comply, vehicles remaining in the restricted areas may be eligible for tow.

What do I do if my vehicle is towed?

If you think your vehicle may have been towed, check the Police Department's vehicle impound website.

You can also call the SJPD Vehicle Records Assistance Line (Auto Desk) at 408-277-4263.

This line is answered 24/7 except between the hours of 12:00 noon to 2:00pm. Have your case number, vehicle license plate or VIN number ready.

You can also visit the Auto Desk in person:

201 W. Mission Street
San Jose, CA 95110

Auto Desk hours of operation: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Every Day.

City of San José

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