Earlier editions: 2026-09
Title 10 — VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC
Atwater Municipal Code Ch. 10.32 Stopping, Standing and Parking
Atwater Municipal Code · 2026-10 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · Atwater
Cite as: Atwater Municipal Code Chapter 10.32 · Text as of 2026-10-04
10.32.010 - Applicability of provisions.¶
A. The provisions of this title prohibiting the stopping, standing or parking of a vehicle shall apply at all times or at those times specified in this chapter, 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 Vehicle Code or the ordinances of this City, prohibiting or limiting the standing or parking of vehicles in specified places or at specified times.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1001)
10.32.020 - Standing in parkways prohibited.¶
No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle within any parkway.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1002)
10.32.030 - Use of streets for storage of vehicles prohibited.¶
A. No person who owns or has possession, custody or control of any vehicle shall park such vehicle upon any street or alley for more than a consecutive period of 72 hours.
B. In the event a vehicle is parked or left standing upon a street in excess of a consecutive period of 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 Vehicle Code.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1003)
10.32.040 - Parking for certain purposes prohibited.¶
No person shall park a vehicle upon any roadway for the principal purpose of:
A. Displaying such vehicle for sale;
B. Greasing, or repairing such vehicle except repairs necessitated by an emergency.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1004)
10.32.050 - Parking parallel with curb.¶
A. Subject to other and more restrictive limitations, a vehicle may be stopped or parked within 18 inches of the left-hand curb facing in the direction of the traffic movement upon any one-way street unless signs are in place prohibiting such stopping or standing.
B. In the event a highway includes two or more separate roadways and traffic is restricted to one direction upon any such roadway, no person shall stand or park a vehicle upon the left hand side of such one-way roadway unless signs are in place permitting such standing or parking.
C. The City Traffic Engineer is authorized to determine when standing or parking shall be prohibited upon the lefthand side of any one-way street or when standing or parking may be permitted upon the left-hand side of any one-way roadway of a highway having two or more separate roadways and shall erect signs giving notice thereof.
D. The requirement of parallel parking shall not apply in the event any commercial vehicle is actually engaged in the process of loading or unloading freight or goods, in which case that vehicle may be backed up to the curb provided, that such vehicle does not extend beyond the centerline of the street and does not block traffic thereby.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1005)
10.32.060 - Signs or markings indicating angle parking.¶
A. Whenever any ordinance of this City designates and describes any street or portion thereof upon which angle parking is permitted, the City Traffic Engineer shall mark or sign such street indicating the angle at which vehicles shall be parked.
B. When signs or markings are in place indicating angle parking as provided in subsection A. of this section, no person shall park or stand a vehicle other than at the angle to the curb or edge of the roadway indicated by such signs or markings.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1006; Ord. CS 766, 11-10-1998)
10.32.070 - Parking adjacent to schools.¶
A. The City Engineer is authorized to erect signs indicating no parking upon that side of any street adjacent to any school property when such parking would, in his opinion, interfere with traffic or create a hazardous situation.
B. When official signs are erected indicating no parking upon that side of a street adjacent to any school property, no person shall park a vehicle in any such designated place.
C. Twenty feet either side of pedestrian crosswalks at schools are designated as no parking zones.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1007)
10.32.080 - Parking prohibited on narrow streets.¶
A. The City Traffic Engineer is 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 markings prohibiting parking are erected upon narrow streets as authorized in subsection A. of this section, no person shall park a vehicle upon any such street in violation of any such sign or marking.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1008)
10.32.090 - Parking on hills.¶
No person shall park or leave standing any vehicle unattended on a highway when upon any grade exceeding three percent within any business or residence district without blocking the wheels of the vehicle by turning them against the curb or by other means.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1009)
10.32.100 - Stopping or parking prohibited—Signs required.¶
The City Traffic Engineer shall 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 such places:
A. At any place within ten feet of a crosswalk at an intersection in any business district except that a bus may stop at a designated bus stop;
B. Within ten feet of the approach to any traffic signal, boulevard stop sign, or official electric-flashing device;
C. At any place where the City Traffic Engineer determines that it is necessary in order to eliminate dangerous traffic hazards.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1010)
10.32.110 - Parking regulations for peddlers and vendors.¶
A. Except as otherwise provided in this section no person shall stand or park any vehicle, wagon or pushcart from which goods, wares, merchandise, fruits, vegetables or foodstuffs are sold, displayed, solicited or offered for sale or bartered or exchanged, or any lunch wagon or eating cart or vehicle on any portion of any street within this City, except that such vehicles, wagons or pushcarts may stand or park only at the request of a bona fide purchaser for a period of time not to exceed ten minutes at any one place. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to persons delivering such articles upon order of, or by agreement with a customer from a store or other fixed place of business or distribution.
B. No person shall park or stand on any street, any lunch wagon, eating cart or vehicle, or pushcart from which tamales, peanuts, popcorn candy or other articles of food are sold or offered for sale without first obtaining a written permit to do so from the chief of police which shall designate the specific location in which such cart shall stand.
C. No person shall park or stand any vehicle or wagon used or intended to be used in the transportation of property for hire on any street while awaiting patronage for such vehicle or wagon without first obtaining a written permit to do so from the chief of police which shall designate the specific location where such vehicle may stand.
D. Whenever any permit is granted under the provisions of this section and a particular location to park or stand is specified therein, no person shall park or stand any vehicle, wagon, or pushcart on any location other than as designated in such permit. In the event that the holder of any such permit is convicted in any court of competent jurisdiction for violating any of the provisions of this section, such permit shall be forthwith revoked by the chief of police upon the filing of the record of such conviction with the chief of police, and no permit shall thereafter be issued to such person until six months have elapsed from the date of such revocation.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1011)
10.32.120 - Emergency parking signs.¶
A. Whenever the City Traffic Engineer determines that an emergency traffic congestion is likely to result from the holding of public or private assemblages, gatherings, or functions, or for other reasons, the City Traffic Engineer 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 Traffic Engineer directs 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 traffic 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.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1012)
10.32.130 - Parking space markings.¶
A. The City Traffic Engineer is authorized to install and maintain parking space markings to indicate parking spaces adjacent to curbings where authorized parking is permitted.
B. When such parking space markings are placed in the highway subject to other and more restrictive limitations, no vehicle shall be stopped, left standing or parked other than within a single space unless the size or shape of such vehicle makes compliance impossible.
(Prior Code § 3-2.1203)
10.32.140 - Automobile advertising.¶
No person shall park or cause to be parked on any roadway or private property, except duly licensed automobile sales lots, any vehicle displaying any sign, advertisement or device for the purpose of advertising or which advertises that said vehicle is for sale.
Nothing herein shall prohibit the display of such advertising for sale of one vehicle on the private property of the owner of such vehicle and the public street immediately adjacent thereto so long as said advertising sign is not more than ten inches by 12 inches and includes the name, address and phone number of the seller.
(Ord. CS 632, 1987)
10.32.150 - Fines and penalty fees for parking violations.¶
The following is a list of fines and penalty fees for the parking violations listed in the Atwater Municipal Code under Chapter 10.32, Chapter 10.40, Section 12.08.030, Chapter 17.12 and Section 8.04.170.
Penalty
| Section | Description | Fee | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.32.020 | Standing in parkways prohibited | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.030 (A) | Parking more than 72 hours | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.040 (A) | Certain parking prohibited | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.040 (B) | Certain parking prohibited | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.050 (A) | Parking parallel with curb | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.060 (B) | Angle parking | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.070 (B) | Parking in school zones | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.070 (C) | School zone 20 feet of crosswalk prohibited | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.080 | Parking prohibited on narrow streets | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.100 (A) | Stopping or parking prohibited | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.100 (B) | Stopping or parking prohibited | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.100 (C) | Stopping or parking prohibited | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.110 (A) | Parking for purposes of vend | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.110 (B) | Parking for purposes of vend | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.110 (C) | Parking for purposes of vend | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.110 (D) | Parking for purposes of vend | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.120 (B) | Emergency park signs | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.130 | Parking using more than one space | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.32.140 | Parking on parking lots for sale | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.34.020 | Parking generally, (CAADC) | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.40.030 (B) | Loading/ |
20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.40.030 (C) | Loading/ |
20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.40.030A | Loading/ |
20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.40.040 | Loading/ |
20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.40.050 | Passenger loading zone (white curb) | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.40.060 | Standing in alleys | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 10.40.070 | Bus stopping zones | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 1032100(C) | No stopping or parking anytime | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 12.08.030 | Parking on grass | 20.00 | 10.00 |
| 17.12.170 | Parking of R/ |
20.00 | 10.00 |
| 17.12.190 | Trucks in residential zone/1st offense | 50.00 | |
| 17.12.190 | Trucks in residential zone/2nd offense | 100.00 | |
| 17.12.190 | Trucks in residential zone/3rd offense | 150.00 |
(Ord. CS 692, 1992; Ord. CS 760, 6-22-1998)
10.32.170 - Parking by permit only, trucks.¶
This section of the Atwater Municipal Code is written to provide areas for the parking of motortrucks, and truck-tractors outside of the residential areas of the City, for Atwater residents only.
(Ord. CS 773, Added, 6-28-1999)
10.32.175 - Specified parking areas.¶
A. Those areas designated by the City Council of the City of Atwater for the parking by permit only are as follows:
The west side of Industry Way from Commerce Avenue to Business Park Way and the east side of Industry Way from Commerce Avenue to a point 100 feet north of Airpark Way.
The north side of Aviator Drive from a point 100 feet west of Business Park Way to a point 100 feet east of Industry Way.
(Ord. CS 773, 6-28-1999; Ord. CS 795, 8-27-2001; Ord. CS 850, 1-10-2005)
10.32.180 - Permit required.¶
A. A permit shall be required for each and every vehicle that is parked in areas designated for Parking by Permit Only, by the City Council of the City of Atwater, for more than one consecutive hour in any 24-hour period.
B. Permit must be displayed at all times while a vehicle is parked in an area designated for parking by permit only.
(Ord. CS 773, 6-28-1999)
10.32.185 - Permit fees.¶
A. A permit to park in areas designated by the City Council of the City of Atwater as "Parking by Permit Only" will cost $20.00 per six-month period.
B. Permits may be obtained from the Atwater Police Department for a period of one year per vehicle that is to be parked in areas designated for parking by permit only by the City Council of the City of Atwater.
(Ord. CS 773, 6-28-1999)
10.32.190 - Parking without permit, fines.¶
A. Parking in areas designated as parking by permit only, without a permit.
| First offense | $100.00 |
|---|---|
| Second offense within one year of first offense | $200.00 |
| Third or any consecutive offense within one year of first offense | $300.00 |
B. Failure to display permit
| Any offense | $20.00 |
|---|
(Ord. CS 773, 6-28-1999)
10.32.195 - Prohibited parking areas.¶
A. Truck parking is prohibited in the following areas:
Atwater Boulevard Intermodel Transit facility—south side of Atwater Boulevard between Atwater Feed Store and Moore Automotive.
Sycamore Avenue Park and Ride facility—south side of Sycamore Avenue at Highway 99 interchange.
The north and south sides of Atwater Boulevard from Winton Way to the westerly City limits.
B. Fines for parking in prohibited parking areas are as outlined in Section 10.32.190 or as provided for in the California Vehicle Code.
(Ord. CS 795, 8-27-2001; Ord. CS 799, 1-28-2002)
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