Parking Rules in Ventura, CA (2026)
10 verified parking rules for Ventura, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
RV & Boat Parking
In the City of Ventura, an oversized vehicle, over 25 feet long, 80 inches wide, or 82 inches tall, can't park on a city street between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. without a permit, per Municipal Code § 16.217.050(A). A separate rule bans parking a trailer, including a camper or boat trailer, in a residential or business area between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, and unhitched trailers can't be left on any street or alley at all, under § 16.217.060.
RV and Trailer Parking Rules in Ventura
Significant RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code §§ 16.217.050(A), 16.217.060(A)-(B)
A. Except as otherwise provided in this section, it is unlawful for any person to park or leave standing any oversized vehicle on any street between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., holidays excepted. ... 16.217.060 Trailers – Parking prohibited – Exceptions. A. Daytime Parking Prohibited. Except as otherwise provided in this section, it is unlawful for any person to park or leave standing any trailer ...
Driveway Rules
Every driveway, drive aisle, parking area, and access to a parking area required by Ventura's zoning code must be completely surfaced with asphalt, Portland cement concrete, or another director-approved material like permeable block pavers, under Municipal Code Section 24.415.090. Gravel or dirt does not satisfy this requirement for required off-street parking.
Ventura Driveways Must Be Paved
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 24.415.090
All driveways, drive aisles, parking areas, and accesses to such parking areas required by this chapter, as well as all outdoor display areas for vehicles and all outdoor storage areas, shall be completely surfaced with asphalt or Portland cement concrete surfacing or other acceptable surfacing materials, including permeable materials such as block pavers, as approved by the director. Adequate ...
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
In the City of Ventura, commercial vehicles cannot park longer than five hours on any public street in a residential zone under San Buenaventura Municipal Code § 16.210.040(D), unless the vehicle is loading, unloading, or actively servicing a property on that block. The city defines a covered commercial vehicle as one with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more, and a residential district as any zone or subzone whose designation includes the letter R.
Commercial Vehicle Parking Limits in Ventura
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 16.210.040(D)
D. Parking of Commercial Vehicles in Residential Zones. No person shall park or leave standing any commercial vehicle more than five hours on any public street in any residential district in the city except: 1. While loading or unloading property; or 2. When such vehicle is parked in connection with, and in aid of, the performance of a service to or on a property in the block in which such vehi...
Street Parking Limits
In the City of Ventura, drivers may not stop, stand, or park in traffic-hazard locations, divisional islands, red-curbed zones, or within 30 feet of a crosswalk or traffic signal, under San Buenaventura Municipal Code § 16.210.040(A). The same section separately bars using any city street or alley to store a vehicle for more than a consecutive 72 hours, and the police department may tow a vehicle left longer than that under § 16.210.040(C).
On-Street Parking Rules in Ventura
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 16.210.040(A), (C)
A. Designated. ... No operator of any vehicle shall stop, stand, park, or leave standing such vehicle in any of the following places, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the direction of a police officer or other authorized officer, or traffic sign or signal: ... 6. ... In any area where the parking or stopping of any vehicle would constitute a traff...
Overnight Parking
Ventura does NOT have a blanket overnight ban on standard passenger vehicles on city streets. Instead, the city enforces a 72-hour maximum-parking rule under SBMC §16.210.040(C): a vehicle parked in one location longer than 72 hours is subject to citation and tow. Oversized vehicles (RVs, trailers, large trucks) are governed by SBMC Ch. 16.217 with a 6 a.m.–6 p.m. daytime parking prohibition, which effectively means overnight RV/trailer parking is restricted as well via separate trailer rules.
Overnight Parking Rules in Ventura
Light RestrictionsCalifornia Vehicle Code Section 22651 (Authority to Remove Parked Vehicles)
A peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, or a regularly employed and salaried employee who is engaged in directing traffic or enforcing parking laws and regulations of a city, county, or jurisdiction of a state agency in which a vehicle is located may remove a vehicle located within the territorial limits in which the offic...
EV Charging
Every residential electric vehicle charging station in Ventura needs a building permit under Municipal Code Section 12.146.030. It is unlawful to install, operate or maintain one without a permit, which must be secured by a state-licensed electrical contractor through the city's expedited, nondiscretionary review process.
Ventura Residential EV Charging Station Permits
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 12.146.030; § 12.146.060
12.146.030 Applicability. ... This chapter applies to the permitting of all residential electric vehicle charging stations in the city. All electric vehicle charging stations shall require a permit issued in accordance with Section 12.146.060. It shall be unlawful for any person to install, operate, or maintain an electric vehicle charging station without such a permit for such work, and the pe...
Abandoned Vehicles
Leaving a wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on private or public property (not counting highways) in the City of Ventura for more than five days is a public nuisance under Municipal Code Section 8.10.380, enforceable by the building official or police chief under the abatement procedure in Article 3 of Chapter 8.10.
Ventura Abandoned Vehicle Removal Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code §§ 8.10.310, 8.10.380(A)
The presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle or part thereof on private or public property, not including highways, except as expressly hereinafter permitted, is hereby declared to constitute a public nuisance which may be abated as such in accordance with the provisions of this article. ... A. ... Unlawful to Abandon. No person shall abandon, park, store, or leave o...
Curb Color Rules
In the City of Ventura, no one may paint any street or curb surface without city authorization, per San Buenaventura Municipal Code § 16.120.050(B). The only carve-out lets a property owner paint address numbers on a curb after complying with the city's separate curb-numbering resolution or ordinance. Unauthorized painted curbs, red zones, or lane markings imitating official traffic control markings can also trigger separate tampering charges under subsection (A).
Ventura Ban on Painting Curbs
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 16.120.050(B)
B. Unauthorized Painting of Curbs. No person, unless authorized by this city, shall paint any street or curb surface; provided, however, that this section shall not apply to the painting of numbers on a curb surface by any person who has complied with the provisions of any resolution or ordinance of this city pertaining thereto.
Loading Zones
In the City of Ventura, curbside loading zones are set and marked by the city traffic engineer under Municipal Code Section 16.220.010. Yellow zones limit commercial material loading to 20 minutes and passenger loading to three minutes; white zones cap passenger stops at three minutes, and no more than half of any block's curb length may be reserved for loading.
Ventura Commercial Loading Zone Limits
Some RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 16.220.010
“Yellow zones” shall mean no stopping, standing or parking at certain posted hours of any day except Sundays and holidays 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 minutes nor the loading or unloading of materials more than 20 minutes. Loading zones are in effect only fo...
Preferential Parking Districts
In the City of Ventura, residents on streets posted with time-limited parking near schools, colleges, medical districts, and downtown can apply for a preferential parking permit that exempts them from the posted limit. Municipal Code § 16.215.030(F) covers one- or two-hour zones within a quarter mile of a high school or college; subsections (G) and (I) cover medical districts and downtown residential streets, each administered by the public works director.
Preferential Parking Permits in Ventura
Significant RestrictionsSan Buenaventura Municipal Code § 16.215.030(F)
F. One-Hour or Two-Hour Parking in Certain School Neighborhoods. When authorized signs, parking meters or curb markings have been determined by the public works director, or designee, to be necessary and are in place giving notice thereof, no operator of any vehicle shall stop, stand or park said vehicle on any portion of a local street that is within a one-quarter-mile radius of a high school ...
Looking for Ventura County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Ventura city rules.
Parking Rules in Ventura County →