How close to a stop sign can you park? Your California traffic law question, answered

Angela Rodriguez
·3 min read
7

Finding the ideal parking space can be a challenge — and often prompts questions about location, convenience and whether or not it’s legal to park there.

Reader Beth TenPas asked the California Service Journalism Team, which focuses on helping the community navigate daily life: “How close to a stop sign can you park your vehicle?”

The Bee reached out to California law enforcement to find the answer.

Can you park next to a stop sign in California?

Mark Leavitt, a spokesperson for California Highway Patrol, said state law does not specify how close a vehicle can park next to a stop sign.

“As far as I can tell, there is not a California Vehicle Code section that addresses this specifically,” Leavitt wrote in an email to The Bee.

While a vehicle is parked next to a stop sign, Leavitt said there is no violation as long as a vehicle is not violating a “no parking” sign, parked alongside a solid red curb, or parked past the solid painted white line of a crosswalk.

“However, there could be a local municipal code or ordinance that specifically addresses this issue, depending on the individual city or town,” Leavitt said.

Though parking next to a stop sign is not illegal under California law, the city of Rancho Cordova in Sacramento County generally prohibits parking within 20 feet of a stop sign.

Other California municipalities can vary in the specific distance allowed for parking in front of a stop sign.

According to San Diego’s Municipal Code, parking within 50 feet ahead of a stop sign is prohibited. In San Marcos, drivers are not allowed to park within 20 feet ahead of a stop sign.

If you don’t feel like looking up the code for each individual city you park in, don’t fret: There will usually be a sign telling you where not to park.

Where is it illegal to park in California?

Here’s where drivers should never park or leave their vehicle, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicle’s Driver Handbook:

  • Where a “No Parking” sign is posted.

  • On a marked or unmarked crosswalk.

  • On a sidewalk or partially blocking a driveway.

  • Three feet within a sidewalk ramp for disabled people.

  • In front of a curb with wheelchair access.

  • In the diagonal lines area next to a disabled parking space.

  • In a space for zero-emission vehicles, unless you are driving one.

  • In a tunnel or on a bridge, unless signs permit parking.

  • Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or a fire station driveway.

  • Between a safety zone and curb.

  • On the wrong side of the street or on a freeway, except during an emergency or when a law enforcement officer requires a stop or where a stop is specifically permitted.

What are the penalties for being parked illegally?

According to Shouse California Law Group, a parking violation can be charged as an infraction under California law.

While the infraction will not result in a point on a driver’s record, the law website states hefty fines could be issued.

“A traffic ticket for most offenses costs approximately $250,” the website states.