diff --git a/include/rcutils/types/string_array.h b/include/rcutils/types/string_array.h
index 743ea9e7..e627a4dd 100644
--- a/include/rcutils/types/string_array.h
+++ b/include/rcutils/types/string_array.h
@@ -133,6 +133,35 @@ rcutils_string_array_cmp(
   const rcutils_string_array_t * rhs,
   int * res);
 
+/// Resize a string array, reclaiming removed resources.
+/**
+ * This function changes the size of an existing string array.
+ * If the new size is larger, new entries are added to the end of the array and
+ * are zero- initialized.
+ * If the new size is smaller, entries are removed from the end of the array
+ * and their resources reclaimed.
+ *
+ * \par Note:
+ * Resizing to 0 is not a substitute for calling ::rcutils_string_array_fini.
+ *
+ * \par Note:
+ * If this function fails, \p string_array remains unchanged and should still
+ * be reclaimed with ::rcutils_string_array_fini.
+ *
+ * \param[inout] string_array object to be resized.
+ * \param[in] new_size the size the array should be changed to.
+ * \return `RCUTILS_RET_OK` if successful, or
+ * \return `RCUTILS_RET_INVALID_ARGUMENT` for invalid arguments, or
+ * \return `RCUTILS_RET_BAD_ALLOC` if memory allocation fails, or
+ * \return `RCUTILS_RET_ERROR` if an unknown error occurs.
+ */
+RCUTILS_PUBLIC
+RCUTILS_WARN_UNUSED
+rcutils_ret_t
+rcutils_string_array_resize(
+  rcutils_string_array_t * string_array,
+  size_t new_size);
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/src/string_array.c b/src/string_array.c
index dffbb648..c91a1ebd 100644
--- a/src/string_array.c
+++ b/src/string_array.c
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ rcutils_string_array_init(
   string_array->size = size;
   string_array->data = allocator->zero_allocate(size, sizeof(char *), allocator->state);
   if (NULL == string_array->data && 0 != size) {
-    RCUTILS_SET_ERROR_MSG("failed to allocator string array");
+    RCUTILS_SET_ERROR_MSG("failed to allocate string array");
     return RCUTILS_RET_BAD_ALLOC;
   }
   string_array->allocator = *allocator;
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ rcutils_string_array_fini(rcutils_string_array_t * string_array)
   }
   allocator->deallocate(string_array->data, allocator->state);
   string_array->data = NULL;
+  string_array->size = 0;
 
   return RCUTILS_RET_OK;
 }
@@ -136,6 +137,62 @@ rcutils_string_array_cmp(
   return RCUTILS_RET_OK;
 }
 
+rcutils_ret_t
+rcutils_string_array_resize(
+  rcutils_string_array_t * string_array,
+  size_t new_size)
+{
+  RCUTILS_CHECK_FOR_NULL_WITH_MSG(
+    string_array, "string_array is null", return RCUTILS_RET_INVALID_ARGUMENT);
+
+  if (string_array->size == new_size) {
+    return RCUTILS_RET_OK;
+  }
+
+  rcutils_allocator_t * allocator = &string_array->allocator;
+  RCUTILS_CHECK_ALLOCATOR_WITH_MSG(
+    allocator, "allocator is invalid", return RCUTILS_RET_INVALID_ARGUMENT);
+
+  // Stash entries being removed
+  rcutils_string_array_t to_reclaim = rcutils_get_zero_initialized_string_array();
+  if (new_size < string_array->size) {
+    size_t num_removed = string_array->size - new_size;
+    rcutils_ret_t ret = rcutils_string_array_init(&to_reclaim, num_removed, allocator);
+    if (RCUTILS_RET_OK != ret) {
+      // rcutils_string_array_init should have already set an error message
+      return ret;
+    }
+    memcpy(
+      to_reclaim.data, &string_array->data[new_size],
+      to_reclaim.size * sizeof(char *));
+  }
+
+  char ** new_data = allocator->reallocate(
+    string_array->data, new_size * sizeof(char *), allocator->state);
+  if (NULL == new_data && 0 != new_size) {
+    RCUTILS_SET_ERROR_MSG("failed to allocate string array");
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < to_reclaim.size; ++i) {
+      to_reclaim.data[i] = NULL;
+    }
+    rcutils_ret_t ret = rcutils_string_array_fini(&to_reclaim);
+    if (RCUTILS_RET_OK != ret) {
+      RCUTILS_SET_ERROR_MSG("memory was leaked during error handling");
+    }
+    return RCUTILS_RET_BAD_ALLOC;
+  }
+  string_array->data = new_data;
+
+  // Zero-initialize new entries
+  for (size_t i = string_array->size; i < new_size; ++i) {
+    string_array->data[i] = NULL;
+  }
+
+  string_array->size = new_size;
+
+  // Lastly, reclaim removed entries
+  return rcutils_string_array_fini(&to_reclaim);
+}
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/test/test_string_array.cpp b/test/test_string_array.cpp
index 7bbdbcc6..0426b90d 100644
--- a/test/test_string_array.cpp
+++ b/test/test_string_array.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "gtest/gtest.h"
 
 #include "./allocator_testing_utils.h"
+#include "./time_bomb_allocator_testing_utils.h"
 #include "rcutils/error_handling.h"
 #include "rcutils/types/string_array.h"
 
@@ -153,3 +154,105 @@ TEST(test_string_array, string_array_cmp) {
   ret = rcutils_string_array_fini(&incomplete_string_array);
   ASSERT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_OK, ret);
 }
+
+TEST(test_string_array, string_array_resize) {
+  auto allocator = rcutils_get_default_allocator();
+  auto failing_allocator = get_failing_allocator();
+  auto invalid_allocator = rcutils_get_zero_initialized_allocator();
+  auto time_bomb_allocator = get_time_bomb_allocator();
+  rcutils_ret_t ret;
+
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_resize(nullptr, 8);
+  ASSERT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_INVALID_ARGUMENT, ret);
+  rcutils_reset_error();
+
+  // Start with 8 elements
+  rcutils_string_array_t sa0;
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_init(&sa0, 8, &allocator);
+  ASSERT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_OK, ret);
+
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < sa0.size; i++) {
+    const char val[] = {static_cast<char>('a' + i), '\0'};
+    sa0.data[i] = strdup(val);
+  }
+
+  // Resize to same size (hot path)
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_resize(&sa0, sa0.size);
+  ASSERT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_OK, ret);
+
+  // Grow to 16 (with allocation failure)
+  sa0.allocator = failing_allocator;
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_resize(&sa0, 16);
+  EXPECT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_BAD_ALLOC, ret);
+  EXPECT_EQ(8u, sa0.size);
+  rcutils_reset_error();
+
+  // Grow to 16 (with invalid allocator)
+  sa0.allocator = invalid_allocator;
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_resize(&sa0, 16);
+  EXPECT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_INVALID_ARGUMENT, ret);
+  EXPECT_EQ(8u, sa0.size);
+  rcutils_reset_error();
+
+  // Grow to 16
+  sa0.allocator = allocator;
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_resize(&sa0, 16);
+  ASSERT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_OK, ret);
+  ASSERT_EQ(16u, sa0.size);
+
+  // Check that existing data is intact
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
+    const char val[] = {static_cast<char>('a' + i), '\0'};
+    EXPECT_STREQ(val, sa0.data[i]);
+  }
+
+  // Check that new elements are empty
+  for (size_t i = 8; i < sa0.size; i++) {
+    const char val[] = {static_cast<char>('a' + i), '\0'};
+    EXPECT_STREQ(nullptr, sa0.data[i]);
+    sa0.data[i] = strdup(val);
+  }
+
+  // Shrink to 4 (with allocation failure)
+  sa0.allocator = failing_allocator;
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_resize(&sa0, 4);
+  EXPECT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_BAD_ALLOC, ret);
+  EXPECT_EQ(16u, sa0.size);
+  rcutils_reset_error();
+
+  // Shrink to 4 (with delayed allocation failure)
+  set_time_bomb_allocator_realloc_count(time_bomb_allocator, 0);
+  sa0.allocator = time_bomb_allocator;
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_resize(&sa0, 4);
+  EXPECT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_BAD_ALLOC, ret);
+  EXPECT_EQ(16u, sa0.size);
+  rcutils_reset_error();
+
+  // Shrink to 4 (with invalid allocator)
+  sa0.allocator = invalid_allocator;
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_resize(&sa0, 4);
+  EXPECT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_INVALID_ARGUMENT, ret);
+  EXPECT_EQ(16u, sa0.size);
+  rcutils_reset_error();
+
+  // Shrink to 4
+  sa0.allocator = allocator;
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_resize(&sa0, 4);
+  ASSERT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_OK, ret);
+  ASSERT_EQ(4u, sa0.size);
+
+  // Check that existing data is intact
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < sa0.size; i++) {
+    const char val[] = {static_cast<char>('a' + i), '\0'};
+    EXPECT_STREQ(val, sa0.data[i]);
+  }
+
+  // Shrink to 0
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_resize(&sa0, 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_OK, ret);
+  EXPECT_EQ(0u, sa0.size);
+
+  sa0.allocator = allocator;
+  ret = rcutils_string_array_fini(&sa0);
+  ASSERT_EQ(RCUTILS_RET_OK, ret);
+}