Parking Rules in Modesto, CA (2026)
9 verified parking rules for Modesto, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
RV & Boat Parking
Modesto zoning section 10-3.214 limits a residential lot to two recreational vehicles parked outside a structure, requires they sit at least 3 feet from any habitable building and outside the clear-vision zone, and prohibits any portion of the RV from overhanging the public sidewalk.
Two-RV Limit on Residential Lots
Heavy RestrictionsModesto Municipal Code § 10-3.211 (definition); § 10-3.214 (permitted locations)
"Recreational vehicle" ... means ... any motor vehicle, whether operable or not, and any transportable structure including, but not limited to, a camper shell, mobile home, travel trailer, tent, camp car, camp trailer, recreational vehicle, bus, boat or aircraft that has been designed or equipped to permit human habitation or shelter.
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Modesto Municipal Code section 3-2.1006 prohibits parking commercial vehicles (generally over 10,000 lbs GVWR) in residential districts, with a $127 citation. Truck routes are separately enforced under section 3-2.1301 at $96. Parking a commercial vehicle in a metered downtown space carries a $71 fine under sec. 3-2.1511.
Commercial Vehicles Banned in Residential ($127)
Some RestrictionsModesto Municipal Code § 3-2.1006 (Parking Violation Fine Schedule, eff. May 4, 2020)
3-2.1006 - Parking of Commercial Vehicles in Residential Districts ............ $127.00
Street Parking Limits
Modesto Municipal Code section 3-2.1002 prohibits using public streets to store any vehicle for more than 72 consecutive hours. Vehicles must also be currently registered and operable. Violation carries a $108 fine.
72-Hour Street Storage Limit ($108 fine)
Significant RestrictionsModesto Municipal Code § 3-2.1002 (Parking Violation Fine Schedule, eff. May 4, 2020)
3-2.1002 - Use of Streets for Storage of Vehicles Prohibited (72 Hour Parking) ............ $108.00
Overnight Parking
Modesto has no blanket overnight parking ban. The default rule is the 72-hour storage limit (sec. 3-2.1002). Residential Parking Permit Zones under Article 19 of Title 3 restrict on-street parking to permit holders in designated neighborhoods, and living overnight in a vehicle on private property is barred by section 10-3.211 after 72 consecutive hours.
No Citywide Overnight Ban; Permit Zones Apply
Light RestrictionsModesto Municipal Code § 10-3.211 (Mobile Living Quarters)
It shall be unlawful for any person to occupy or permit the occupancy of any mobile living quarters on property subject to their control, within the City of Modesto, for more than seventy-two (72) consecutive hours, except as provided below.
EV Charging
Modesto's Building Official must run an expedited, streamlined permitting process for electric vehicle charging stations under Article 19, following a published checklist, and cannot condition approval on a homeowners' association's sign-off, per Government Code Section 65850.7.
Modesto Expedited EV Charging Station Permits
Some RestrictionsModesto Code of Ordinances §§ 9-1.1901, 9-1.1905
9-1.1901 - Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to promote and encourage the use of electric vehicles by creating an expedited, streamlined permitting process for electric vehicle charging stations while promoting public health and safety... 9-1.1905(b) In the technical review of a charging station, consistent with Government Code Section 65850.7, the Building Official shall not condition th...
Abandoned Vehicles
Modesto Code of Ordinances § 4-7.1915 makes it an infraction to keep an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle on any private or public property, other than a highway, for more than thirty days. The Police Chief can order removal as a public nuisance after a ten-day notice and hearing process under Article 19.
Modesto Abandoned Vehicle Removal Rules
Some RestrictionsModesto Code of Ordinances § 4-7.1915
It is unlawful and an infraction for any person to abandon, keep, park, store, maintain, or leave or permit the abandonment, parking, storing or leaving of any licensed or unlicensed vehicle, or parts thereof, which is in an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative condition upon any private property or public property, not including highways, within the City for a period in excess of thir...
Curb Color Rules
Modesto's Director of Public Works controls every curb color on city streets. Red bans stopping entirely, yellow and white cap loading time at three or twenty minutes, green limits parking to 24 minutes, and blue is reserved for disabled placards. Painting a curb without city authorization is itself a violation.
Curb Painting Colors Set Modesto Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsModesto Code of Ordinances § 3-2.1101, § 3-2.1102
(a)The Director or Public Works is hereby authorized, subject to the provisions and limitations of this chapter, to place...the following curb markings to indicate parking or standing regulations, and said curb markings shall have the meanings as herein set forth:(1)Red shall mean no stopping, standing or parking at any time except as permitted by the Vehicle Code of the State of California and...
Loading Zones
In a marked Modesto loading zone, curb time is limited to 3 minutes for loading or unloading passengers and 20 minutes for loading or unloading materials, unless a posted sign says otherwise. Zones are identified by yellow curb paint set by the Public Works Director.
Modesto Loading Zones: 3 or 20 Minute Time Limits
Some RestrictionsModesto Code of Ordinances §§ 3-2.1101, 3-2.1104
(2)Yellow shall mean no stopping, standing or parking at any such times of any day as are designated, for any purpose other than the loading or unloading of passengers or materials, provided that the loading or unloading of passengers shall not consume more than three (3) minutes nor the loading or unloading of materials more than twenty (20) minutes. ... When authorized signs or markings as pr...
Preferential Parking Districts
Modesto lets residents petition for a Residential Parking Permit Zone under Municipal Code Article 19. A petition signed by at least 67 percent of residents or property owners triggers a City Engineer survey and a Council public hearing; Council then may adopt a resolution establishing the zone, restricted to R-1, R-2, or R-3 areas, under Vehicle Code Section 22507.
Modesto Residential Parking Permit Zones
Significant RestrictionsModesto Code of Ordinances § 3-2.1901
Upon the receipt and verification of the petition prescribed by the City containing the valid signatures and phone numbers of at least sixty-seven (67) percent of the residents and/or owners of real property in a specific residential area proposed for designation, the City Engineer shall direct surveys or studies necessary to determine whether a residential area is suitable as a residential par...
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