With accommodation costs in Vancouver reaching into the thousands of dollars and the recent ticket drop of $17 tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts, some fans are looking for cheap places to sleep in Vancouver.
While it may seem like a bad idea to sleep in a car in Canada in December, it’s not illegal to do so in Vancouver.
It’s actually the parking that might land you in hot water.
“It is not City policy to ticket people sleeping in their vehicles, however, illegally parked vehicles of any kind are subject to the same street and traffic bylaws that govern all parking,” the City of Vancouver tells V.I.A.
“As far as what you do not want to do, never drink in a vehicle. Not only is that contrary to BC’s Liquor Control Licensing Act, but you could end up charged with impaired driving,” lawyer Kyla Lee told V.I.A. in a previous interview.
“You do not need to actually be driving to face a charge, as the Criminal Code defines this as ‘operating’ so long as you are in possession of the means to set the vehicle in motion,” she said.
Rules around sleeping in parked cars
There are plenty of rules around parking in Vancouver. Most spaces in downtown Vancouver require payment to the city or a private company and there are limits on how long a car is allowed to be parked. Usually, the rules are laid out on a sign near the parking spot.
For those who find street parking with no sign, there is still a limit. During the day (from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) it’s three hours in front of a residential or commercial property.
