Arcata Municipal Code Art. 9 Stopping, Standing and Parking

(a) The provisions of this Chapter prohibiting stopping, standing or parking of a vehicle shall apply at all times or at those times herein specified, except when it is necessary to stop a vehicle to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or official traffic control device.

(b) The provisions of this Chapter imposing a time limit on standing or parking shall not relieve any person from the duty to observe other and more restrictive provisions of the State Vehicle Code or other laws of this City, prohibiting or limiting the standing or parking of vehicles in specified places or at specified times.

(a) No person who owns or has possession, custody or control of any vehicle required to be licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles shall park such vehicle upon any street or alley for more than a consecutive period of seventy-two (72) hours.

(b) In the event a vehicle is parked or left standing upon a street in excess of a consecutive period of seventy-two (72) hours, any member of the Police Department authorized by the Chief of Police may remove said vehicle from the street in the manner and subject to the requirements of the California Vehicle Code.

(c) It shall be unlawful to store a recreational vehicle on a public street for more than seventy-two (72) consecutive hours. Such recreational vehicles include trailers, house trailers, boats on trailers, and motor homes or oversized camper trucks.

(d) In the event a vehicle is stored upon a street in excess of a consecutive period of seventy-two (72) hours, any member of the Police Department authorized by the Chief of Police may remove said vehicle from the street in the manner and subject to the requirements of the California Vehicle Code.

No person shall park a vehicle upon any roadway for the principal purpose of:

1. Displaying such vehicle for sale.

2. Washing, greasing, or repairing such vehicle except repairs necessitated by an emergency.

(a) The Chief of Police is hereby authorized to place signs or markings indicating no parking upon any street when the width of the roadway does not exceed 20 feet, or upon one side of a street as indicated by such signs or markings when the width of the roadway does not exceed 30 feet.

(b) When official signs or marking prohibiting parking are erected upon narrow streets as authorized herein, no person shall park a vehicle upon any such street in violation of any such sign or marking.

The City Manager may appropriately sign or mark the following places and when so signed or marked no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle in any of said places.

1. At any place within twenty-five (25) feet of an intersection in a business district except that a bus may stop at a designated bus stop.

2. Within twenty-five (25) feet of the approach to any traffic signal, boulevard stop sign, or official electric flashing device.

3. At any place where the City Manager determines that it is necessary in order to eliminate unusual traffic hazard.

(a) Whenever the City Manager shall determine that emergency traffic congestion is likely to result from the holding of public or private assemblages, gatherings or functions, or for other reasons, the City Manager shall have power and authority to order temporary signs to be erected or posted indicating that the operation, parking or standing of vehicles is prohibited on such streets and alleys as the City Manager shall direct during the time such temporary signs are in place. Such signs shall remain in place only during the existence of such emergency and the City Manager shall cause such signs to be removed promptly thereafter.

(b) When signs authorized by the provisions of this section are in place giving notice thereof, no person shall operate, park or stand any vehicle contrary to the directions and provisions of such signs.

It shall be unlawful for any person to park a vehicle so that any portion of said vehicle extends beyond lines or markings on the street or curb to designate the parking space.

The City Council is empowered to permit by ordinance, angle parking on any roadway in compliance with the California Vehicle Code.

The City Council may by resolution prohibit or restrict the stopping, parking, or standing of vehicles, including but not limited to vehicles that are six (6) feet or more in height, within one hundred (100) feet of any intersection, on certain streets or highways, and on any City-owned off street parking facility, or portions thereof, during specified hours of the day. Such prohibitions or restrictions made through resolution shall not apply until signs or markings giving adequate notice thereof have been placed, and when such notice has been placed, stopping, standing or parking any vehicle in violation of the prohibitions or restrictions as set for the in the resolution shall be prohibited. (Ord. 1529, eff. 3/20/2020)

No person shall park a vehicle on private property contrary to posted signs, curb markings or painted areas.

Parking meter zones are those streets or portions of streets in the City hereinafter described as zones within which the parking of motor vehicles shall be controlled, regulated, and inspected with the aid of parking meters and/or pay-and-display stations. Parking meter zones are hereby designated as follows:

(Ord. 1194, eff. 9/4/1992; Ord. 1529, eff. 3/20/2020)

The provisions of this Chapter relating to the operation of parking meters shall be effective between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. (Ord. 1529, eff. 3/20/2020)

The cost for parking any vehicle, except those displaying a valid disabled person insignia or City of Arcata Zero Emissions permit, shall be seventy-five cents ($0.75) per hour during the time of operations. (Ord. 1529, eff. 3/20/2020)