Over a million Americans live in vehicles.
Vehicle living is one of the fastest growing housing solutions in the country, with over a million Americans using their vehicles as their residence.
Some use vehicles as emergency or transitional shelters and want to get into stable housing. Others choose vehicle residency to support their work or family obligations. Some just like the freedom and adventure exploring the country full time.
All vehicle residents have rights —
- To keep their property
- To free movement
- To simply remain where they are
The National Vehicle Residency Coalition (NVRC) mobilizes communities nationwide to educate and advocate for the rights of vehicle residents, and to ensure their representation in policy, planning, and public discourse.
Are you a vehicle resident?
Find parking programs across the US, learn about laws that affect vehicle residents, protect your civic voting rights, and connect with our network of communities, allies, and advocates.
Join Us
The 2026 Vehicle Residency Summit
September 11-12, 2026
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Exciting News! We have announced the dates for our third biennial National Vehicle Residency Summit! Save the dates for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11-12, 2026!
As before, this national* event creates spaces for information sharing between vehicle residents, advocates, service providers, policy makers and researchers. Like the 2022 and 2024 Summits, we will host multiple Zoom sessions over two days and about a variety of topics regarding vehicle residency.
* We call this a “national” event, but we have had attendees and presenters from around the world, as vehicle residency issues apply to all countries!
What is Vehicle Residency?
Very simply, vehicle residents are individuals who live in their vehicles.
This includes all vehicles, any length of time, for any reason.
Is it legal to live in a vehicle?
There are no federal laws that prohibit vehicle residency. However, many municipalities have enacted laws and regulations that restrict or prohibit living in a vehicle in a particular area or parking overnight. This is often done as an effort to deter ‘homelessness’ within a community.
Why do people live like this?
Vehicle residents may choose to live in their vehicle because:
- They want to travel
- They enjoy a mobile lifestyle
- Eviction
- Job Loss
- They do not have access to affordable permanent housing
Where do vehicle residents park?
Many Vehicle Residents choose to live and park in public spaces. This could include street parking in developed areas and BLM or National Forrest in undeveloped areas.
Some Vehicle Residents park on private property owned by more