Chapter 10.44 — STOPPING, STANDING AND PARKING - PROHIBITED OR

(a) The city council shall by ordinance or resolution establish such parking, or stopping, standing and parking restrictions or prohibitions as may be necessary, and the city manager shall designate such streets, portions of streets, or city-owned parking facilities by appropriate signs or markings giving effect to such parking or stopping, standing and parking restrictions or prohibitions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the city manager may establish such parking, or stopping, standing and parking restrictions or prohibitions for periods of time not to exceed four months at which time such restrictions or prohibitions shall no longer be of any force and effect unless duly established by ordinance or resolution of the city council. The city manager shall designate streets or portions of streets by appropriate signs or markings, giving effect to such parking or stopping, standing and parking restrictions or prohibitions.

(b) When authorized signs are in place giving notice of such prohibition or limitation, no person shall stop, stand or park any vehicle in violation of such prohibition or limitation.

(c) Whenever the stopping, standing or parking of a vehicle has been prohibited, restricted, or limited as to time by this chapter or any resolution enacted pursuant hereto, the continued standing or parking of such vehicle for an additional period longer than the maxi-mum permissible period of parking in such space or location after a citation therefor has been issued shall constitute a separate and ad-ditional violation. If no such period of time is designated, stopping, standing or parking for an additional period longer than one hour after a citation has been issued, shall constitute a separate and additional violation.

(Ord. 4642 §11, 2000: Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)

(a) For the purposes of this chapter, the following words shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this section:

(1) "Oversized vehicle" means any vehicle exceeding seven feet in height or exceeding twenty feet in overall length or exceeding seven feet in width (including any load or accessory thereon other than antennas), provided that this definition shall not apply to vehicles which exceed these dimensions solely because of modifications required to accomodate a disability and the vehicle is lawfully displaying a disabled placard or license;

(2) "Camper shell" means a structure designed to cover and/or protect the bed area of a pickup truck but removed therefrom;

(3) "Trailer" means a vehicle designed or utilized for being drawn by a motor vehicle.

(4) "Residential zone" means all lands located within the following zoning districts: RE, Rl, R2, RMD, RM-20, RM-30, and RM-40; where one side of a street is located within one of these residential districts, then the portion of the opposite side of the street directly across from the residential district shall also be included in the definition of a residential zone;

(5) "Public facility zone" means all lands located within a PF zone; where one side of a street is located within a public facility zone, then the portion of the opposite side of the street directly across from the public facility zone shall also be included in the restrictions pertaining to a public facility zone.

(Ord. 5460 § 15, 2019: Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)

(a) No person shall, between the hours of two a.m. and six a.m. of any day, unless authorized by a hardship permit issued pursuant to Section 10.44.021 or a construction or maintenance permit issued pursuant to Section10.40.045, park upon streets or alleys located within a residential zone or public facility zone any of the following vehicles:

(1) Oversized vehicles;

(2) Trailers;

(3) Camper shells;

(4) Tow trucks as defined by California Vehicle Code Section 615;

(5) Special construction equipment as defined by California Vehicle Code Section 565.

(b) No person shall park or leave standing a non-motorized vehicle upon any public street or highway.

(1) For the purposes of this subsection, “non-motorized vehicle” means any trailer, camp trailer, semitrailer or trailer coach as defined by the California Vehicle Code. “Non-motorized vehicle” does not include any bicycle, scooter, or micromobility device.

(2) This subsection shall not apply to a nonmotorized vehicle that is attached to a vehicle capable of moving the nonmotorized vehicle in a lawful manner upon the street, carries a hardship permit issued pursuant to Section 10.44.021 or a construction or maintenance permit issued pursuant to Section 10.40.045, is actively being loaded or unloaded, or is undergoing emergency repairs.

(c) Where not inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution or other applicable law, vehicles parked in violation of this section are subject to tow.

(Ord. 5689 § 2, 2026: Ord. 5685 § 2, 2025: Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)

Persons who have obtained hardship permits pursuant to this section shall be exempt from the provisions of Section10.44.020 during the duration of said permit.

(a) Eligibility. Any resident of the city of Palo Alto may be eligible for a one-time nonrenewable hardship permit for an oversized vehicle if such resident can show a "hardship." For the purposes of this section "hardship" means that the applicant has no legal offstreet parking space adequate to accommodate the vehicle for which the permit is sought at the street address specified in the permit application.

(b) Classes and Duration of Permits. There shall be two classes of permits: (i) resident permit; and (ii) guest permits. Any resident of Palo Alto may obtain a resident permit for a specified vehicle upon establishing actual residence at an address within the city. The maximum duration of this permit shall be thirty days but shall not exceed the actual duration of the hardship. Any resident of Palo Alto may obtain a guest permit for a specified vehicle registered to a non-resident guest of the applicant. The duration of guest permits shall not exceed fourteen days and shall not be renewable within thirty days following expiration.

(c) Fees. The fees for hardship permits shall be set forth in the municipal fee schedule. No hardship permit shall be issued until said fee has been paid to the supervisor of revenue collections.

(d) Procedures and Regulations. Applications for hardship permits shall be submitted to the supervisor of revenue collections. The supervisor of revenue collections may issue a hardship permit if it is determined that the application of Section 10.44.020 will create a hardship on the applicant or his guest. The supervisor of revenue collections may establish additional procedures and regulations for the implementation of this section which are consistent with this section and with Section 10.44.020 of this code.

(Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)

No person shall park or leave standing any vehicle unattended on a highway when upon any grade exceeding three percent within any business or residential district without blocking the wheels of said vehicle by turning them against the curb or by other means.

(Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)

(a) The city manager is authorized to install and maintain parking space markings to indicate parking spaces where authorized parking is permitted.

(b) When such parking space markings are placed in a street, alley, or public parking facility, 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.

(c) No vehicle over six feet wide or fifteen feet long (including loads or accessories) shall park or stand in a parking space marked as a small car or compact car space.

(Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)

(a) Whenever the chief of police, director of public works, or director of utilities determines that traffic congestion or conflict is likely to result from construction or maintenance work, the holding of public or private assemblages, gatherings or functions or for the movement of equipment, articles, or structures of unusual size interfering with normal flow of traffic, those officials shall have power and authority to restrict the operation, parking or standing of vehicles at the particular streets, alleys, or public parking facilities (and for the duration) determined to be necessary or desirable to avoid such traffic congestion or conflict. No person shall operate, park, or leave standing any vehicle in violation of such restrictions where temporary signs, devices or barricades are erected or posted indicating that the operation, parking or standing of vehicles is restricted.

(b) Whenever the director of public works determines that parking or standing of vehicles on any city street, alley, or public parking facility should be prohibited or restricted for the purpose of street sweeping, no vehicle shall be parked or allowed to stand on any portion of the street, alley, or public parking facility in violation of signs posted therefor, and removal of vehicles parked in violation of such signs is authorized.

(c) When signs, devices or barricades 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. Whenever signs are erected or placed at least 24 hours in advance of the prohibition against parking or standing and those signs warn that removal is authorized for violation of the prohibition, the chief of police is authorized to remove vehicles parking or standing in violation of the prohibition. Whenever a vehicle is removed pursuant to this section and is stored as permitted by the California Vehicle Code, the chief of police shall comply with the requirements of Section 22852 of the California Vehicle Code relating to post-storage notice and hearing for registered owners and legal owners of record.

(Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)

It is unlawful for any person who deals in or whose business involves the sale, trade, shipment or other disposition, repossession or repair of new or used vehicles to park or leave standing on one or more streets, alleys, or public parking facilities any vehicle held for sale, trade, repossession, repair, shipment or other disposition for more than two hours in the aggregate during any one day. If two or more such vehicles are in the possession or custody of such person, the two-hour aggregate period shall commence when the first vehicle is left standing upon any street, alley or public parking facility and shall include and apply to all other such vehicles, whether parked at the same time or at a later time, or at the same or different location on any city street, alley or public parking facility.

(Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)

(a) Whenever the city manager determines that the orderly, efficient conduct of the city's business requires that parking or standing of vehicles on city property owned or controlled by the city other than city streets or alleys should be prohibited, limited or restricted, the city manager shall have the power and authority to order signs to be erected or posted or curb markings to be placed indicating that the parking of vehicles is thus prohibited, limited or restricted.

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

(Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)

No person shall operate or stand or park any vehicle on any street, alley, or any public parking facility owned or controlled by the city in such a manner as to obstruct the free use of such street, alley, or any public parking facility.

(Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)

No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle, except a commercial motor vehicle, shall allow it to stand unattended on any highway, public street, or any other public place, or on a parking facility open to the public use, without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition and removing the ignition key from the vehicle. The registered owner of a vehicle found in violation of this section shall be held prima facie responsible for any such vehicle. Violation of this section shall not mitigate the offense of theft of such motor vehicle.

(Ord. 4558 § 5 (part), 1999)