How Lakewood Handles Parking Rules: A Practical Guide

Lakewood maintains 128 local ordinances across all categories, and 9 of those deal specifically with parking rules. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Lakewood falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Street Parking Limits

Lakewood enforces street parking limits including the statewide 72-hour rule. Permit parking zones and street sweeping restrictions may apply.

The rules around street parking limits in Lakewood lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Curb Color Rules

Lakewood marks parking restrictions with painted curb colors under a City Administrator order: red means no parking except bus loading, green means limited parking capped at 20 minutes, and blue is reserved for disabled placard holders. Parking against a legible curb marking outside its rule is a citable offense.

Key details: Red curb: No parking (bus loading exception). Green curb: Limited parking, 20-minute cap. Blue curb: Disabled placard/plate required. Green curb hours: 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun/holidays excepted. Who paints curbs: City Administrator or authorized agent.

Stopping, standing or parking against a curb color in violation of its designated use, parking in a red zone without qualifying as a posted bus stop, exceeding 20 minutes in a green zone during restricted hours, or occupying a blue disabled space without a displayed placard or plate, is a citable parking violation under §3250.2. General Code violations otherwise default to the §1200 misdemeanor penalty: a fine up to the state misdemeanor maximum, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense.

Loading Zones

A yellow-painted curb in Lakewood marks a loading zone: vehicles may stop there only to load or unload passengers or freight, for no more than 20 minutes, and only between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on days other than Sundays and holidays. Parking there any other time is a citable violation.

Key details: Curb color: Yellow marks a loading zone. Time limit: 20 minutes maximum. Hours restricted: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Exempt days: Sundays and holidays. Who marks zones: City Administrator or authorized agent.

Stopping, standing or parking in a marked loading zone outside the loading/unloading purpose, beyond the 20-minute limit, or outside the 7 a.m.-6 p.m. window is a parking violation citable by Sheriff's deputies acting as Lakewood's traffic enforcement agency under §3222 and §3250.2. Repeated or unresolved violations of City Code provisions generally carry misdemeanor exposure under §1200: a fine up to the state misdemeanor maximum or up to six months in jail, with each day a separate offense.

RV & Boat Parking

Lakewood lets homeowners store an RV, boat, trailer, or camper shell on their own property with no time limit, as long as it is operable, street-legal, and registered to that address. Where it can sit depends on the yard: rear yards allow unlimited, unscreened storage, while a driveway to a detached garage must stay 16 feet back from the front property line.

Key details: Eligibility: Must be operable, licensed, registered to property. Time limit: None, if fully compliant. Detached-garage driveway: Stay 16 ft from front property line. Rear yard: Unlimited number, no screening required. Camper shells in side/corner yard: Need 5.5 ft solid fence.

A boat, RV, or trailer parked or stored in a required yard that does not meet Section 9373.1 is a property nuisance per se under Municipal Code Section 4323(J), which the City can abate directly and prosecute as a misdemeanor under the general penalty clause, Section 1200, punishable by a fine up to the state misdemeanor maximum or up to six months in jail, or as a cited infraction with escalating fines; enforcement typically runs through Code Enforcement rather than the contract Sheriff's patrol deputies.

Driveway Rules

Lakewood driveways must be concrete, patterned concrete, brick, or pavers; asphalt is explicitly banned for single-family driveways. Municipal Code Sections 9321 and 9322.10.B also cap driveway width at 10 feet per parking space it serves.

Key details: Governing sections: § 9321, § 9322.10.B. Allowed surfaces: Concrete, patterned concrete, brick, pavers. Banned surface: Asphaltic concrete. Max width: 10 ft per parking space served. Minimum garage spaces: 2 covered, first unit.

Paving a driveway in asphalt, exceeding the 10-foot-per-space width formula, or parking on an unpaved or non-conforming surface violates Sections 9321 and 9322.10.B and is enforced under the Municipal Code's general penalty at Section 1200, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to the state misdemeanor maximum or up to six months in jail, with each day of the nonconforming driveway a separate offense, or as an infraction under Section 1205 where the City Manager and City Attorney designate it.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

On a residential lot, Lakewood only allows off-street parking of a licensed, operable commercial vehicle if it weighs 6,000 pounds or less excluding cargo and is registered to that address or to an employee of a resident there; trailers are capped at 2,500 pounds and 20 feet. City streets north of Carson Street separately bar any commercial vehicle over 6,000 pounds gross weight.

Key details: Off-street weight cap: 6,000 lbs curb weight, excluding cargo. Trailer limit: 2,500 lbs, 20 feet long. Registration test: Property address or resident's employer. On-street ban: Any commercial vehicle over 6,000 lbs, north of Carson St. Truck routes exempted: Carson, Cherry, Lakewood, Pioneer, South, Woodruff.

Parking or storing a commercial vehicle in violation of Section 9373.1(J), or driving or parking one over 6,000 pounds on a restricted street in violation of Section 3264, is enforced under the Municipal Code's general penalty clause, Section 1200: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to the state misdemeanor maximum or up to six months in jail, or, at the City's election, a citable infraction with escalating fines for repeat violations within a year. Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies, not a separate city police force, write these citations under Lakewood's contract-city public safety agreement.

EV Charging

California Government Code Section 65850.7 strips Lakewood's Building Division of discretion over electric vehicle charging stations: an application must be administratively approved through a standard building permit, not a discretionary land-use permit, unless the building official documents a specific, adverse health or safety impact. Lakewood's own Mixed-Use Overlay standards separately require EV-capable wiring under the Green Building Code.

Key details: Approval type: Administrative building permit, not a CUP. Denial standard: Written, evidence-based adverse-impact finding. Appeal path: Planning Commission. HOA veto: Barred under subdivision (h). Station definition: Per Cal. Electrical Code Article 625.

Installing a charging station without the required building permit is enforced like any unpermitted electrical work under the Municipal Code's general penalty clause: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to the state misdemeanor maximum or up to six months in jail, or a citable infraction with escalating fines for repeat violations. If the city wrongly denies or delays a compliant application, the applicant's remedy is an appeal to the Planning Commission under subdivision (d); a use-permit denial is invalid unless it rests on written, evidence-based safety findings under subdivision (c).

Abandoned Vehicles

Lakewood bans leaving any abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on public or private property for more than 72 hours under Municipal Code § 4330, unless it is fully enclosed in a building and not visible, or lawfully stored at a licensed dismantler, dealer, or junk yard. The city's Hearing Officer, not a police officer, decides contested cases before a vehicle is towed.

Key details: Time limit: 72 hours on public or private property. Low-value exception: Under $200, missing parts: no hearing needed. Notice period: At least 10 days before hearing. Decision maker: City-appointed Hearing Officer, not police. Appeal window: 5 days to Planning and Environment Commission.

Failing or refusing to remove an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle after a nuisance order under § 4330 is pursued through the City's civil abatement remedies under the Vehicle Code, Civil Code, and Code of Civil Procedure. The Hearing Officer assesses removal costs and administrative charges against the responsible owner, and unpaid amounts become a special assessment collected with the property's regular county taxes; owners who dispute responsibility may submit a sworn statement denying it instead of appearing.

Overnight Parking

Lakewood enforces overnight and long-term street parking through its own ordinances plus state removal authority. City Council resolutions can ban curbside parking between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. on specific streets without even posting a sign, Municipal Code Section 3252 caps any street or alley stay at 72 consecutive hours citywide, and California Vehicle Code Section 22651 gives officers the power to tow.

Key details: Street storage limit: 72 consecutive hours (Sec. 3252). Resolution overnight ban: 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., no signs required. City lot overnight ban: 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. (Sec. 4225). Towing authority: Cal. Veh. Code Sec. 22651(k) and (n). Who pays: Registered owner covers towing and storage.

There is no misdemeanor citation for an overnight parking violation; the remedy is removal. Vehicle Code Section 22651(n) lets a posted resolution against curbside parking authorize towing, and Section 22651(k) lets Lakewood tow any vehicle left on a street or alley beyond the 72-hour cap set in Section 3252. The registered owner pays the towing and storage costs before the vehicle is released.

The Bottom Line

Lakewood's parking rules rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Lakewood is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Lakewood's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.