Parking Rules in San Jose, CA (2026)
10 verified parking rules for San Jose, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
RV & Boat Parking
San Jose requires RVs, trailers, and boats parked in a front or corner-side yard to sit on paved surface and RVs in the front yard to be parked perpendicular to the street.
San Jose RV & Boat Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Jose Municipal Code §§ 17.72.600, 17.72.610
No person shall park or store any recreational vehicle in the front yard of property designed or used as a residence unless the recreational vehicle is parked or stored perpendicular to the street. ... No person shall keep, store or park any trailer, boat or motor vehicle on any portion of a front yard or corner lot side yard facing a street of a property designed or used as a residence, except...
Driveway Rules
San Jose bans parking or storing an unmounted camper or vehicle in a residential front setback for more than 48 hours unless the surface is paved, and caps paving at 50% of that setback.
San Jose Front Yard Parking Must Be Paved
Some RestrictionsSan Jose Municipal Code § 20.30.430
No unmounted camper or vehicle, other than those vehicles expressly specified and allowed under Title 17 of this Code, shall be kept, stored or parked for a period of time in excess of forty-eight consecutive hours in the front setback area of any lot or parcel situated in a residential district or containing a residential use. Such parking or storage is limited to paved surfaces.
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
San Jose can post any street as a "no large vehicle parking zone" and have vehicles over 6 feet tall or 7 feet wide towed if parked there, under Municipal Code Chapter 11.98.
Large Vehicle Parking Rules in San Jose
Significant RestrictionsSan Jose Municipal Code §§ 11.98.010(C), 11.98.060
"Large vehicle" includes every vehicle, including any load thereon, which exceeds six feet in height, or which exceeds seven feet in width. ... No person shall park a large vehicle in any zone posted as a "no large vehicle parking zone."
Street Parking Limits
San Jose Municipal Code Chapter 11.36 governs on-street parking. Residential streets are swept once per month on a posted day; high-traffic and downtown streets are swept 2–4 times per month between 2:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Vehicles parked in posted no-parking zones during sweeping receive a citation, and tow-zone violators are towed.
San Jose, CA Street Sweeping & Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsCalifornia Vehicle Code § 22651
(b) If a vehicle is parked or left standing upon a highway in a position so as to obstruct the normal movement of traffic or in a condition so as to create a hazard to other traffic upon the highway. (c) If a vehicle is found upon a highway or public land and a report has previously been made that the vehicle is stolen or a complaint has been filed and a warrant thereon is issued charging that ...
Overnight Parking
San Jose designates specific streets as no-overnight-parking zones where, once signs are posted, no one may stop, stand, or park a vehicle between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, under Municipal Code § 11.36.255.
San Jose No-Overnight-Parking Zones (10 PM–6 AM)
Some RestrictionsSan Jose Municipal Code § 11.36.255
A.No person shall stop, stand, or park any vehicle on or along those streets or highways, or portions thereof that have been designated as a no overnight parking zone between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM.B.Signs shall be posted to provide notice of the prohibition under this Section.C.No overnight parking zones may be designated by the traffic engineer on the basis of traffic engineering studies which ...
EV Charging
San Jose requires EV charging infrastructure in new construction under CALGreen Tier 2 standards. Residential new builds need 100% EV-ready parking; multifamily and commercial projects face graduated requirements. Public charging stalls are reserved for actively charging vehicles, with fines for non-EVs blocking chargers.
EV Charging Rules in San Jose
Some RestrictionsCalifornia AB1236 (2015-2016 Session)
65850.7. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) The implementation of consistent statewide standards to achieve the timely and cost-effective installation of electric vehicle charging stations is not a municipal affair, as that term is used in Section 5 of Article XI of the California Constitution, but is instead a matter of statewide concern. (2) It is the intent of t...
Abandoned Vehicles
San Jose treats an abandoned, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle left on private or public property as a public nuisance under SJMC Chapter 11.104, enforced by the Department of Neighborhood Preservation with abatement and cost recovery.
Abandoned Vehicle Nuisance Rules in San Jose
Some RestrictionsSan Jose Municipal Code § 11.104.010
A. The presence of abandoned, dismantled or inoperative vehicles, or parts thereof, on private property or public property, is declared to constitute a public nuisance which may be abated in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. B. No person shall maintain or keep an abandoned, dismantled or inoperative vehicle on his or her property or public property except in accordance with this c...
Curb Color Rules
San Jose Municipal Code § 11.51.010 assigns fixed meanings to red, yellow, white and green curb paint: red bars stopping and standing outright, yellow limits loading to posted hours, white caps stops at five minutes, and green limits parking to twelve minutes absent a posted sign.
San Jose Curb Color Marking Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Jose Municipal Code § 11.51.010
Red shall mean that no person shall cause his or her vehicle to stop, stand or park at any time except as permitted by the California Vehicle Code, except that buses are exempted from this restriction.B.Yellow shall mean that no person shall cause his or her vehicle to stop, stand or park at any time between the hours indicated on the sign adjacent to said yellow zone, on every day except as in...
Loading Zones
San Jose limits commercial vehicles to one consecutive hour in marked freight loading zones, and passenger drop-offs to five minutes, unless the vehicle displays a special loading permit issued under SJMC Chapter 11.52 Part 4.
San Jose Freight Loading Zone Time Limits
Some RestrictionsSan Jose Municipal Code § 11.52.330(B)
No person shall stop, stand or park a commercial vehicle in any freight loading zone for the purpose of loading or unloading freight for longer than the time necessary to complete such activity, and in no event for more than one consecutive hour, except in compliance with a special loading/unloading permit issued pursuant to Part 4 of this Chapter 11.52.C.No person shall stop, stand or park a v...
Preferential Parking Districts
San Jose designates permit parking areas neighborhood by neighborhood, Cadillac, Berryessa flea market, College Park, Horace Mann and more, where parking without a displayed, valid permit is prohibited during posted days and hours.
San Jose Preferential Parking Permit Districts
Significant RestrictionsSan Jose Municipal Code § 11.48.300
Except as otherwise specified in this chapter, no person shall park a vehicle on any street or any portion of any street within a permit area on the days and during the times determined by the director unless such vehicle has a properly displayed and valid parking permit issued pursuant to this chapter.B.The director may, in lieu of collecting a fine for a citation issued for a residential perm...
Looking for Santa Clara County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement San Jose city rules.
Parking Rules in Santa Clara County →