Los Altos Municipal Code Art. 1 Stopping, Standing, and Parking

A.

The provisions of this chapter prohibiting the 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 Vehicle Code of the state or of this code prohibiting or limiting the standing or parking of vehicles in specified places or at specified times.

(Prior code § 3-2.901)

A.

No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle within any parkway. No person shall stop, stand, park or leave standing any vehicle, whether attended or unattended, upon any street in the city when it is practicable to stop, park or leave the vehicle of such travelled portion of the roadway, but in every event an unobstructed width of the roadway opposite a standing vehicle shall be left for the free passage of other vehicles, and a clear view of the stopped vehicle shall be available from a distance of two hundred (200) feet in each direction upon the roadway. This section shall not apply where a roadway is bounded by adjacent curbs.

B.

This section shall not apply to the driver of any vehicle which is disabled in such a manner and to such an extent that it is impossible to avoid stopping and temporarily leaving the disabled vehicle on the roadway.

(Prior code § 3-2.902)

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

A.

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

B.

Obstructing any portion of the regular lanes of travel.

(Prior code § 3-2.903)

(Ord. No. 2025-527, § 1(App. A), 4-8-2025)

The city engineer shall mark, sign, or paint any street or any other public parking area indicating the angle at which vehicles shall be parked, in any such area designated by the city council for such purposes. Whenever such signs, markings or painting are in place, no person shall park or stand a vehicle other than at the angle to the curb or the edge of the roadway indicated by such signs, markings, or painting and the right front wheel of such vehicle shall be within eighteen (18) inches of the curb or edge of the roadway.

(Prior code § 3-2.905)

A.

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

B.

When official signs or markings prohibiting parking are erected upon narrow streets as authorized by the provisions of this section, no person shall park a vehicle upon any such street in violation of any such sign or marking.

(Prior code § 3-2.908)

A.

It is unlawful for any person to stop, stand or park a vehicle in any disabled parking zone unless the vehicle displays either distinguishing license plates or a placard issued pursuant to the California Vehicle Code for disabled persons or disabled veterans.

B.

It is unlawful for any person to park a vehicle within three feet of any sidewalk access ramp which has been constructed adjacent to a crosswalk so as to be accessible to and usable by the physically disabled.

(Prior code § 3-2.909)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2014-398, § 1, adopted Feb. 11, 2014, repealed § 8.20.070 which pertained to unlawful parking of peddlers and vendors and derived from § 3-2.910 of the prior code.

A.

Whenever the chief of police shall determine 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 chief of police shall have the 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 chief of police 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 chief of police shall cause such signs to be removed promptly thereafter.

B.

When the 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 § 3-2.911)

No person who owns or has possession, custody, or control of any vehicle or trailer shall park such vehicle or trailer upon any street, alley, or public place continuously for more than a consecutive period of seventy- two (72) hours. For the purposes of this section, a vehicle or trailer shall be considered to have been parked

or left standing for seventy-two (72) or more consecutive hours if it has not been moved at least one thousand (1,000) feet during such seventy-two (72) hour period.

(Prior code § 3-2.913)

Any enforcement officer as defined in 8.04.020 may remove, or cause to be removed, any vehicle which has been parked or left standing upon a street, highway, or public parking lot for seventy-two (72) or more consecutive hours.

(Prior code § 3-2.914)

(Ord. No. 2025-527, § 1(App. A), 4-8-2025)

A.

The city engineer may issue regulations regulating parking, stopping, or standing in public parking areas, both on-street and off-street. Any regulation issued pursuant to this section shall not be effective until signs notifying of such regulation have been erected.

B.

In addition to subsection A, the city engineer may designate by resolution approved by the city council certain public parking areas, residential streets, alleys or any portions thereof as a preferential parking zone for the benefit of the city and residents. Said preferential parking program is solely voluntary and vehicles in said preferential parking zone displaying a permit or other authorized indicia may be exempt from the city's parking prohibitions or restrictions. The resolution shall include the following, as well as other matters deemed pertinent by the city engineer:

The boundaries of the preferential parking zone;

The hours during which preferential parking shall apply;

The procedures for obtaining preferential parking permits, including the fee therefor.

C.

Upon the adoption of a preferential parking resolution, no person shall park in the designated area during the hours specified for preferential parking without a preferential parking permit.

(Ord. 07-305 § 1 (part))

A.

Each preferential parking zone may be designated only upon findings that such zone is required to enhance or protect the quality of life in the area of the proposed zone and that such zone is necessary to provide reasonably available and convenient parking for the benefit of the city.

B.

The fees for preferential parking permits shall be established by a resolution of the city council. The revenue generated by the fees from a preferential parking shall be deposited in a separate fund. No moneys shall be disbursed from this fund except for the purposes set forth in this chapter.

C.

The revenue generated by the fees from a preferential parking program shall be used for funding the city's costs of its preferential parking programs, such as maintenance and striping of parking areas and other parking program costs.

D.

The revenue generated by the fees from a preferential parking program may also be authorized by the city council to be used for such other private programs which benefit the city as follows:

Promotion of business and retail activities within the downtown business area or in the general area where the funds are raised;

Promotion of public events which are to take place on or in public places within the downtown business area or in the general area where the funds are raised;

Furnishing of music and decorations in any public place within the downtown business area or in the general area where the funds are raised;

Providing public improvements such as landscaping, trash receptacles, litter removal and sidewalk cleaning in any public place within the downtown business area or in the general area where the funds are raised;

Acquisition, construction or maintenance of parking facilities for the benefit of the city.

E.

If the city council authorizes the use of revenue generated by the fees from a preferential parking to benefit the city, such authorization shall be by a resolution of the city council designating such city or private program to receive said funds. The resolution shall also require the program applicant to provide, upon completion of the program and/or improvements, a detailed accounting of the use of said funds, and any unused funds shall be promptly returned to the city.

(Ord. 07-305 § 1 (part))

A.

The city engineer or his or her designee shall install, at such public parking areas, streets or alleys or portions thereof as have been declared to be preferential parking zones, appropriate signs or markings giving notice of such parking restriction.

B.

No preferential parking resolution shall apply until signs or markings giving adequate notice thereof have been placed.

(Ord. 07-305 § 1 (part))

A.

The police department shall be responsible for the issuance of permits pursuant to this chapter. Applicants for such permits shall present such proof, as may be required by said department. Not more than one permit shall be issued for each such motor vehicle. The police department shall prescribe appropriate application forms and procedures with respect to such permits. The form of the permit shall be prescribed by the police department and shall be affixed in a visible location on the subject vehicle.

B.

Permits issued pursuant to this section shall remain effective for a period of one calendar year or fraction thereof, or until the preferential parking zone for which such permit was issued is eliminated, whichever period of time is less.

C.

Each permit shall be subject to all conditions and restrictions set forth in this chapter and of the preferential parking zone for which it was issued, including conditions or restrictions which may be altered or amended from time to time. The issuance of such permit shall not be construed to be a permit for, or approval of, any violation of any provisions of this code or any other laws or regulations.

D.

It shall be unlawful for any person to alter, forge, counterfeit, or falsify any permit relating to a preferential program or display or cause or permit to be displayed any such altered, forged, counterfeited or false

permit with the intent to represent the permit as issued by the city.

(Ord. 07-305 § 1 (part))

No item (including, by way of example, but not limited to, dumpsters and construction materials) other than a motor vehicle may be placed in any lawful public parking area or loading zone, either on-street or off- street, or on any sidewalk, unless the owner or authorized user of the item has first obtained a permit from the city engineer for such use of the area, and paid a fee as set in the municipal fee schedule.

(Prior code § 3-2.916)