Modesto Municipal Code Art. 10 Stopping, Standing and Parking

(a) The provision of this article 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 article 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 of California or this Code prohibiting or limiting the standing or parking of vehicles in specified places or at specified times.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., effective 4-24-58)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

(a) The Council finds that the use of streets for storage of vehicles, including a recreational vehicle, travel trailer, mobile home, boat trailer, bus, semi, house car, utility trailer and camper whether attached to another vehicle or separate, in order to avoid removal as a stored vehicle presents risk to the public health, safety and general welfare.

(b) In the event a vehicle is parked or left standing upon a street, alley or public parking facility in excess of a consecutive period of seventy-two (72) hours, any member of the Police Department or a Parking Enforcement Officer, may remove said vehicle in the manner and subject to the requirements of the Vehicle Code Section 22651.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., amended by Ord. 648-C.S., effective 5-6-64)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

(a) Repealed.

(b) No person shall park a vehicle upon any roadway located in a commercial or industrial zone for the principal purpose of washing, greasing or repairing such vehicle except for repairs necessitated by an emergency.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., effective 4-24-58, amended by Ord. 2573-C.S., § 1, effective 3-3-88)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle in any alley for any purpose other than for the loading or unloading of passengers or materials. The loading or unloading of passengers shall not consume more than three (3) minutes, and the loading or unloading of materials shall not consume more than twenty (20) minutes without impeding traffic circulation and emergency access through alleys. This section shall not apply to an alley where parking is prohibited.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., effective 4-24-58)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

(a) No person shall park a vehicle on the left-hand side of a two (2) way street facing against the flow of traffic.

(b) Subject to other and more restrictive limitations, a vehicle stopped or parked upon a roadway shall be stopped or parked with the right-hand wheels of the vehicle parallel to, and within eighteen (18) inches of, the right-hand curb or the right-hand edge of the class IV bikeway, except that a motorcycle shall be parked with at least one (1) wheel or fender touching the right-hand curb or edge. If no curbs, barriers, or Class IV bikeways bound a two-way roadway, right-hand parallel parking is required unless otherwise indicated.

(c) The Council is hereby authorized by resolution to determine the streets upon which and the hours during which angle parking shall be permitted either exclusively or in conjunction with parallel parking, which regulations shall become effective when appropriate signs or marking are in place giving public notice thereof. On those streets upon which angle parking exclusively is authorized, such fact shall be indicated by the painting of white lines upon the surface of the roadway indicating angle parking. On such streets, vehicles shall be parked at the angle to the curb of the roadway with at least one (1) front wheel within eighteen (18) inches of the curb. On those streets upon which combination parallel and angle parking is authorized, such fact shall be indicated by the posting of signs giving public notice thereof. On such streets, vehicles shall be parked as indicated by such signs.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., effective 4-24-58)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

No person shall park or leave standing any commercial vehicle, as defined in the Vehicle Code of the State of California, upon any street within any residential district of the City, if such vehicle has a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of ten thousand (10,000) pounds or more, for any purpose other than making pickups or deliveries of persons, goods, wares and merchandise from or to any building or structure, located on such street or for any purpose other than delivering materials to be used in the actual and bona fide repair, alteration, remodeling or construction of any building or structure upon such street for which a building permit has previously been obtained. A residential district of the City is any area of the City which is classified as residential under the provisions of the zoning regulations of this Code.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., amended by Ord. 648-C.S., repealed by Ord. 1069-C.S., and added by Ord. 1600-C.S., effective 4-20-77)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

The Director of Public Works may appropriately sign or mark or cause to be signed or marked any place where said Director determines that it is necessary in order to eliminate dangerous traffic hazards, and when so signed or marked, no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle in any of said places.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., amended by Ord. 3127-C.S., § 1, and Ord. 3363-C.S., § 1, effective 12-9-04)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

(a) If the Director of Public Works 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 Director of Public Works 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 he/she shall direct during the time such temporary signs are in place. Such signs shall be erected or posted and inspected twenty-four (24) hours in advance and remain in place only during the existence of such emergency, and said Director or designee shall verify that such signs are 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.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., amended by Ord. 3127-C.S., § 1, and Ord. 3363-C.S., § 1, effective 12-9-04)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

No vehicle shall be parked on or over any mechanical traffic counter or road tube used for the purpose of taking a traffic count when signs have been erected giving notice thereof.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., effective 4-24-58)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

(a) No person shall drive or park any motor vehicle upon any public park, playground or other City property except on streets, alleys, thoroughfares or parking lots and areas provided for such purposes.

(b) No person shall stop, stand or park a motor vehicle upon any public park, playground or other City property outside of the designated parking area(s).

(c) No person shall park a vehicle on that portion of a street between the curb lines, or the lateral lines of a roadway, and the adjacent property lines intended for the use of pedestrians.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., amended by Ord. 292-C.S., effective 3-26-59)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

(a) No person shall park a vehicle on private property without the direct or implied consent of the owner or person in lawful possession of such property.

(b) When public parking is prohibited or restricted on private property, the owner or person in lawful possession or their agent shall display in plain view at all entrances to the property, a sign not less than seventeen by twenty-two (17 x 22) inches in size, with lettering not less than one (1) inch in height, prohibiting or restricting public parking, indicating that violators' vehicles may be removed at the vehicle owner's expense and that violators may be cited. The sign shall display the telephone number of the local law enforcement agency, the name and telephone number of the towing company and reference Vehicle Code Section 22658 ("CVC 22658").

(c) If an authorized sign is displayed in plain view at each entrance to the property and the owner or person in lawful possession of private property desires enforcement in addition to the issuance of a citation upon the request of the owner or person in lawful possession, the owner or person in lawful possession may request enforcement by the City as stated in the authorized sign. Any owner or person in lawful possession of private property located within the downtown business district that requests enforcement pursuant to this section must have a valid letter of authorization on file with the City.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., amended by Ord. 1922-C.S., § 1, and Ord. 2106-C.S., § 1, effective 2-11-82)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

Any regularly employed and salaried officer of the Police Department of the City or a regularly employed and salaried Parking Enforcement Officer or the owner of any private property, or the person entitled to the possession thereof for the time being, or the authorized agent of either may remove or cause to be removed any vehicle that has been parked or left standing on any private property in violation of Section 3-2.1011 of this article.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., effective 4-24-58)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

If a vehicle removed from such private property was rightfully there, the person or persons who complained of the presence of such vehicle and/or the person or persons (other than employees of the City) who caused such vehicle to be removed shall be liable for any and all charges for towage and for caring for and keeping safe such vehicle.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., effective 4-24-58)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

Any person referred to in Section 3-2.1012 of this article who removes any vehicle from any private property in the City is hereby authorized to remove said vehicle to the nearest garage or other place of safety, or to a garage designated or maintained by the City.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., effective 4-24-58)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

Any person referred to in Section 3-2.1012 of this article who removes a vehicle from private property shall give notice to the owner of the vehicle as provided in Article 1, Chapter 10, and Division 11 of the Vehicle Code of the State of California.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., amended by Ord. 347-C.S., effective 12-31-59)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

The keeper of any garage in which any vehicle is stored in accordance with the provisions of this article shall have a lien thereon for his compensation for towage and for caring for and keeping safe such vehicle, and may satisfy such lien upon compliance with and under the conditions stated in Article 1, Chapter 10, Division 11 of the Vehicle Code of the State of California.

(Added by Ord. 234-C.S., amended by Ord. 347-C.S., effective 12-31-59)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)

No person shall park or leave standing any vehicle in a fire safety lane on private or public property when such lane has been required by the City of Modesto and has been designated by appropriate signs or markings.

(Added by Ord. 1670-C.S., § 2, effective 12-21-77)

(Ord. No. 3716-C.S., effective 3-12-20)