Sacramento Municipal Code Ch. 10.44 Off-Street Parking and Loading

It is unlawful for any person to park, permit to be parked, or allowed to be parked any vehicle:

A. Upon any privately owned property in the city without the consent of the owner of such privately owned property;

B. Upon any unimproved surface (unimproved surface includes any surface which is not paved or asphalted);

C. Upon any vacant improved or unimproved property within the city when such vehicle is offered for sale, excepting therefrom licensed car dealer sales lots.

Properties having driveways composed of dirt, gravel or sand prior to June 13, 1964 are exempt from driveway surfacing requirements for purposes of parking as defined in subsection B of this section.

A citation may be issued to the registered owner of any vehicle found to be in violation of this section. (Prior code § 25.09.150)

A. It is unlawful for any person to park or permit to be parked any commercial vehicle as defined in subsection B of this section, on any private property which falls within one of the following zoning classifications: R-1, R-1A, R-1 B, R-2, R-2A, R-2B, R-3, R-3A, R-4, R-4A, R-5, R-O and RMX.

B. For the purpose of this section only, "commercial vehicles" are defined as those vehicles having a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of ten thousand (10,000) pounds or more.

C. In addition to any other remedies, a citation may be issued to the registered owner of any vehicle found to be in violation of this section.

D. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A of this section, for those properties with a zoning classification of R-1 or RMX, or properties zoned RE which also have a lot size greater than one-half acre, it is lawful to park or permit to be parked a commercial vehicle on private property if all of the following conditions are met:

1. No more than one commercial vehicle shall be parked on any parcel;

2. A paved driveway shall be provided for vehicle access and the vehicle shall be parked on a paved slab. The paved driveway and slab shall comply with the city's paving standards;

3. A six-foot high wood fence or gate constructed of permitted materials (Section 15.156.020 of this code) shall screen the vehicle from the public street(s). Appropriate landscaping as additional screening is encouraged;

4. The vehicle shall not be parked in the minimum required 25-foot front yard setback or 25 feet from the side yard property line of any lot;

5. In the C-1 (limited commercial) zone adjacent to residentially zoned lots or residential uses, the vehicle shall be parked at least 25 feet from the front yard property line and 25 feet from the side yard property line. On other C-1 property, the vehicle shall not be parked in the setback required by the Planning and Development Code.

E. In no event shall any vehicle be parked on an unimproved parcel, a vacant parcel or a parcel with vacant buildings.

F. The planning director may issue a planning director's conditional use permit to allow the parking of one commercial vehicle weighing 10,000 pounds or more on a parcel which does not meet all of the conditions set forth in subsection D of this section in accordance with the procedure set forth in chapter 17.808.

G. Such restriction shall not apply to any commercial vehicle which is making pickups or deliveries of goods, wares, and merchandise from or to any building or structure located on the residential street, or for the purpose of delivering materials to be used in the actual and bona fide repair, alteration, remodeling, or construction of any building or structure upon the residential street for which a building permit has previously been obtained. (Ord. 2013-0021 § 32; Ord. 2003-081 § 2; prior code § 25.09.150-1)

Whenever the parking manager determines that parking or standing of vehicles on city property should be prohibited, limited or restricted, the parking manager shall have the power and authority to order signs or markings to be erected or posted indicating that the parking of vehicles is prohibited, limited or restricted.

When signs or markings authorized by the provisions of this title are in place, giving notice thereof, no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle contrary to the directions of such signs or markings.

Any vehicle parked in violation of such signs or markings may be cited as provided in the Vehicle Code. (Prior code § 25.09.151)

All persons engaged in the business of operating automobile parking lots within the city, upon which a charge is made for parking of vehicles, shall post a notice of the schedule of rates to be charged to the public or persons desiring to park upon such lots. If a different schedule of rates for night parking is charged, such schedule shall also be listed.

Such schedule of rates shall be posted in a conspicuous place at each entrance to any such parking lot and the rates to be charged shall be in words and figures of sufficient size so as to allow an operator of a vehicle desiring to park in any such lot to be notified of the rates chargeable for such service. Such notice shall be lighted at all times when the lot is open for business and there is insufficient natural light available to allow the operator of a vehicle to read it. (Prior code § 25.09.152)

The rates for parking in municipal parking lots shall be established by resolution. Each such resolution shall contain a description of each respective lot and the respective rates to park per hour, day and month. (Prior code § 25.09.153)

The parking manager is authorized to set aside a certain portion of the spaces in each municipal lot for monthly parking; provided such monthly parking does not utilize spaces required to meet the daily demand for short-time parking.

The parking manager is authorized to grant discounts from the established monthly rates for bulk rental of spaces, provided that no discount shall be more than twenty-five (25) percent of the established monthly rate. The discount may vary according to the number of spaces so rented and the availability of space at the requested location. Such discounts shall be established by regulations issued by the manager. (Prior code § 25.09.154)

The parking manager may establish regulations to promote carpooling. The manager is authorized to charge persons qualifying under such carpooling regulations the carpool rates established by resolution.

The parking manager may deny monthly parking privileges to any person found violating the carpool regulations. (Prior code § 25.09.155)

The parking manager is authorized to grant special discount rates to organized groups for special event parking for periods of from four hours to seven days; provided, accommodation of such groups does not utilize spaces that would otherwise be occupied by short-time parking. Any such special group rates shall not be less than the equivalent monthly parking rate computed on a daily basis.

The parking manager may set aside a certain portion of the spaces in any appropriate municipal lot for parking by persons called to jury service in the county courthouse; provided, such juror parking shall not utilize spaces required to meet the daily demand for short-time parking. Rates for such juror parking shall be the same as rates charged jurors parking in the county-owned parking lots. (Prior code § 25.09.156)

Except as specifically otherwise provided herein, no vehicle shall be parked in any municipal parking lot at any time without payment of the established fees. Except as otherwise provided herein, such fees shall be collected from all persons desiring to park vehicles in such facilities, including the officers and employees of the city, the state,

the United States of America, or any public or private firm or corporation, or any municipal, state or federal agency or any public district. No fee shall be charged to nor collected from any officer or employee of the city for the parking of a city-owned vehicle in an off-street parking facility at such times when such officer or employee is engaged in public business of the city. In addition, the city manager may authorize specified officers and employees of the city to park their private vehicles in designated off-street parking facilities during such times when the officers and employees are engaged in their official public duties.

All fees, rates and charges for the use of the facilities shall be collected in cash from the owner, operator or person in charge of the vehicle desiring to park. It is unlawful for any person to wilfully fail to pay the fees, rate and charges for the use of the municipal off-street parking facilities after having been given notice to pay.

No vehicle may be removed from any municipal parking lot until all fees, rates and charges have been paid and discharged, except as provided in subsections A and B of this section:

A. In the event that the person operating a vehicle parked in any municipal parking lot attempts to remove the vehicle from the lot but is unable to pay all fees, rates and charges due at such time, such person shall, prior to removing such vehicle from the lot, be required to sign an agreement to pay any unpaid fees, rates and charges. A copy of such agreement shall be given to the person signing the agreement. Such agreement shall set forth the location of the lot, the date and approximate time that the vehicle is removed, the name of such person, the vehicle license number, the registration expiration date, if visible, the last four digits of the vehicle identification number, if available, the color of the vehicle, and, if possible, the make of the vehicle. Such agreement shall require payment to the city of all unpaid fees, rates and charges, plus a processing fee in an amount established by resolution of the city council, no later than seven days after the agreement is signed, and shall indicate the address to which payment may be delivered or sent. If full payment is not made within such seven-day period, the parking manager shall mail a notice of late payment to the vehicle's registered owner. Such notice shall require payment to the city of the unpaid fees, rates and charges, and processing fee, plus a late payment fee in an amount established by resolution of the city council, no later than seven days after the date of such notice. In the event that such amount is not fully paid within such seven-day period, a notice of parking violation, requiring payment of a penalty in an amount established by resolution of the city council, shall be mailed to the vehicle's registered owner. The above agreement shall include a reference to this section.

B. When any vehicle remains parked in a municipal parking lot at the close of such lot's hours of operation, the lot attendant shall record the location of the lot, the date and approximate time, the vehicle license number, the registration expiration date and the last four digits of the vehicle identification number, if visible, the color of the vehicle, and, if possible, the make of the vehicle. An envelope shall be attached to the vehicle requesting that all fees, rates and charges due be deposited in an identified deposit slot before the vehicle is removed from the lot. In the event that full payment is not deposited and collected from the deposit slot within the next three days of lot operation, a processing fee in an amount established by resolution of the city council shall be added to the amount due. In the event that full payment of the unpaid fees, rates and charges and processing fee is not deposited and collected from the deposit slot within seven days thereafter, the parking manager shall mail a notice of late payment to the vehicle's registered owner. Such notice shall require payment to the city of the unpaid fees, rates and charges, and processing fee, plus a late payment fee in an amount established by resolution of the city council, no later than seven days after the date of such notice. In the event that such amount is not fully paid within such seven-day period, a notice of parking violation, requiring payment of a penalty in an amount established by resolution of the city council, shall be mailed to the vehicle's registered owner. The envelope attached to the vehicle shall include a reference to this section.

By entering a municipal parking lot and parking a vehicle in such lot, the owner, operator or person in charge of such vehicle shall be deemed to have consented to the provisions of subsections A and B of this section. Any notices required to be mailed under subsections A and B of this section, shall be deemed served on the day that they are deposited in the U.S. mail, first class, postage prepaid. The issuance and review of notices of parking violation and delinquent parking violation, and the liability for and payment and collection of parking violation penalties, shall be governed by Sections 40200 et seq., of the California Vehicle Code and Chapter 10.56 of this title. (Prior code § 25.09.157)

A. Definitions. The following definitions apply for purposes of this section:

"Downtown Plaza" is that area bounded by 3rd Street to the west, J Street to the north, 7th Street to the east, and L Street to the south.

"Downtown Plaza parking lots" are Sacramento city parking lots G, K and U, which are within the Downtown Plaza.

"Merchant" is any person, business or other entity conducting business at the Downtown Plaza, and who validates parking tickets for the Downtown Plaza parking lots.

"Parking charges" means those charges incurred by using the parking lots located at the Downtown Plaza.

"Person" is any person who parks in any of the parking lots of the Downtown Plaza.

"Validation" means a validation of a parking ticket issued by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase, entitling said customer to a specified period of free parking, in accordance with the provisions of the parking operation and maintenance agreement for the Downtown Plaza, dated November 30, 1992.

B. It is unlawful for any person to park a vehicle in any of the Downtown Plaza parking lots and use more than one validation to pay parking charges for said vehicle on the same day. The penalty for a violation of this subsection shall be as follows:

• 1. One hundred dollars ($100.00) for one violation;
• 2. Two hundred dollars ($200.00) for one subsequent violation within one year;
• 3. Five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each subsequent violation within one year.

C. It is unlawful for any person employed by a merchant to park a vehicle in any of the Downtown Plaza parking lots and use a validation issued by that merchant to pay any portion of parking charges due for said vehicle. The penalty for a violation of this subsection shall be as follows:

• 1. One hundred dollars ($100.00) for one violation;
• 2. Two hundred dollars ($200.00) for one subsequent violation within one year;
• 3. Five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each subsequent violation within one year.

D. A notice of parking violation shall be issued to the registered owner of a vehicle for which a validation is used to pay any portion of said vehicle's parking charges in violation of subsection B or C of this section. The notice of parking violation shall set forth the violation including a reference to the applicable subsection hereof, the date and approximate time of the violation, the location where the violation occurred, and the license number, color, and, if possible, the make of said vehicle. The notice of parking violation shall also indicate that payment of the penalty for said violation is required to be made not later than twenty-one (21) days from the date of the notice, and shall describe the procedures for depositing the penalty or contesting the notice of parking violation. The issuance and review of notices of parking violation and delinquent parking violation, and the liability for and payment and collection of parking violation penalties, shall be governed by Section 40200 et seq., of the California Vehicle Code and Chapter 10.56 of this title.

E. It is unlawful for any merchant to issue any person a validation unless the validation is issued in conjunction with a purchase of goods or services from that merchant. It is unlawful for any merchant to knowingly issue to any employee of that merchant. A violation of this subsection shall be an infraction.

F. Administrative penalties may be imposed for any violation of subsection E of this section in accordance with the provisions of Section 1.28.010 of this code. The administrative penalty for a violation of subsection E of this section shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00). (Prior code § 25.09.157-1)

Any vehicle left on a municipal parking lot for more than seventy-two (72) hours without prior arrangements having been made with the attendants in charge of the lot may be removed from the municipal parking lot by the parking manager. (Prior code § 25.09.158)

Parking contrary to signs and markings in any municipal parking lot is subject to citation under Section 10.44.030 of this chapter. (Prior code § 25.09.159)

It is unlawful for any person to deface, injure, tamper with, or wilfully break, destroy or impair the usefulness or normal operation of any mechanical gate, or its appurtenances, which control ingress to and egress from any municipal parking lot. (Prior code § 25.09.160)