San Rafael's Parking Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles parking rules a little differently. In San Rafael, California, there are 9 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Abandoned Vehicles

San Rafael treats any abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle on private or public property as a public nuisance under state Vehicle Code authority, and the code enforcement officer can order its removal after a ten-day mailed notice. Owners get the right to a hearing before the city manager, and abandoning a vehicle on a highway or someone else's property draws a fine of at least $100.

Key details: Legal basis: Veh. Code § 22660 authority, SRMC § 11.38.010. Notice before removal: 10-day registered mail notice (§ 11.38.090). Hearing request window: 10 days of notice (§ 11.38.100). Appeal window: 5 days of city manager decision (§ 11.38.120). Exempt: Vehicles behind 6-ft solid fence, not visible (§ 11.38.030).

If administrative and removal costs charged to a landowner go unpaid within thirty days of the final order, the city assesses them against the parcel under Government Code Section 25845 and sends the assessment to the tax collector with the same priority as other city taxes (§ 11.38.150). Separately, Section 11.38.160 makes it a standalone offense to abandon a vehicle on a highway, or on public or private property without consent; a conviction carries a fine of at least $100, none of which may be suspended, plus proof that removal and disposal costs have been paid.

Curb Color Rules

San Rafael's traffic engineer paints curbs red, yellow, white, green, or blue to mark no-parking, loading, and disabled-parking zones, each with its own legal meaning under the traffic code.

Key details: Red: No stopping/standing/parking. Yellow: Loading only, 7am-6pm. Blue: Disabled placard only. Green: 20-min limit, govt buildings.

Parking in violation of a marked curb color zone is a citable parking infraction, and vehicles in red no-stopping zones or unauthorized blue disabled spaces are subject to citation and towing.

Driveway Rules

In San Rafael's Hillside Development Overlay District, driveways and vehicle maneuvering areas must be all-weather pavement or permeable hardscape: city code bars leaving dirt, gravel or other unpaved surfaces for parking and turnaround areas on qualifying steep-slope lots.

Key details: Applies to: Hillside Overlay District only. Trigger: Average slope ≥25%. Requirement: All-weather pavement or hardscape. Slopes >15%: Non-asphalt hardscape required. Slopes >18%: Traction grooves/scoring required.

Leaving a hillside-lot driveway or vehicle maneuvering area unpaved, or using asphalt on a slope over 15% where non-asphalt hardscape is required, violates SRMC §14.12.030(F) and (H) and can hold up final building inspection.

EV Charging

New or substantially renovated San Rafael parking facilities with 25 or more spaces, including multifamily developments, must install capped electrical conduit for future EV charging stations.

Key details: Trigger: 25+ space new/renovated lot. Requirement: Capped conduit to EV spaces. Scope: Any use, incl. multifamily. State overlay: CALGreen Title 24 also applies.

Building or substantially renovating a 25-plus-space parking facility without the required conduit is a building code violation, enforceable through the city's building permit and inspection process.

Street Parking Limits

San Rafael prohibits leaving any vehicle parked on a city street or alley for more than 72 consecutive hours, and separately bars parking in a private driveway without the owner's consent.

Key details: Street time limit: 72 consecutive hours. To reset clock: move 100+ feet, wait 2 hrs. Driveway parking: requires owner's consent. Wrong-way parking: barred on one-way streets. Jurisdiction: San Rafael city limits only.

Vehicles exceeding the 72-hour street limit or parked in violation of these sections can be cited, and the city's parking enforcement staff may tag or remove them.

RV & Boat Parking

San Rafael lets homeowners park RVs, trailers and boats on residential property in Marin County, but only in set spots, driveways, screened side or rear yards, under Zoning Code § 14.18.190.

Key details: Governing section: SRMC § 14.18.190. Front yard placement: Only on driveway or within 12 ft. Rear/side yard rule: Must be screened by solid fence. Multifamily/mobilehome parks: Only in planning-approved RV areas.

Noncompliant RV, boat or trailer parking is enforced through zoning code enforcement; the city can require relocation or removal, and continuing violations are chargeable as infractions under SRMC § 1.42.010 (fine up to $500 per day).

Loading Zones

San Rafael's traffic engineer marks yellow loading zones and white passenger zones on business-district curbs, capping each block's reserved curb at half its length, under SRMC § 5.44.010.

Key details: Governing section: SRMC § 5.44.010. Loading zone color: Yellow, 'Loading Only' curb. Passenger zone color: White, 'Passenger Loading Only'. Max curb reserved: Half of block's total length. Materials time limit: 20 minutes (§ 5.44.030).

Stopping, standing or parking in a marked loading or passenger zone beyond the permitted time, or for a non-loading purpose, is a citable parking violation enforced by San Rafael police/parking services under Title 5.

Overnight Parking

San Rafael bars parking any vehicle on a city street for more than three hours between 12:01 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. under Municipal Code § 5.40.210. The rule applies citywide, is a police-enforced infraction under § 5.12.020, and sits alongside a separate 72-hour tow rule and a full recreational-vehicle overnight parking ban.

Key details: Governing section: San Rafael Municipal Code § 5.40.210. Time limit: 3 hours max, 12:01 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.. Scope: Any street within the city. Violation class: Infraction under § 5.12.020. Maximum fine: $500 under § 1.42.010.

Overnight parking beyond three hours between 12:01 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. is an infraction under Section 5.12.020, because Chapter 5.40 is on the list of chapters the city classified as infractions, punishable by a fine of up to $500 under Section 1.42.010 rather than by a misdemeanor's jail exposure. A vehicle left on the street 72 consecutive hours or more may also be towed under Section 5.12.090, independent of the overnight citation.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

San Rafael bars parking commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds, trailers, or oversized vehicles longer than one hour on residential streets, unless the owner gets a discretionary exception permit from public works.

Key details: Residential limit: 1 hour. Weight threshold: over 10,000 lbs unladen. Reset requirement: leave block face 2+ hrs. Exception permit: 1 year, renewable. Appeal: to city council.

Vehicles parked beyond the one-hour residential limit without an exception permit can be cited; the permit process is the only route to exceed the limit.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. San Rafael actively enforces its commercial & oversized vehicles requirements.

The Bottom Line

San Rafael'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 San Rafael is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects San Rafael'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.