National City, CA Environmental Rules: Vehicle Idling Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 11.34 exists to cut diesel particulate matter, and the findings in § 11.34.010 point to the San Diego Air Basin nonattainment status for ozone and particulate standards and to school-age children as the group to protect. The rule in § 11.34.040 binds the driver of a commercial motor vehicle. The driver must turn off the engine upon stopping at a destination, cannot cause or allow an engine to idle at any location for more than five consecutive minutes, and cannot idle within one hundred feet of a school for more than five consecutive minutes or for periods aggregating more than five minutes in any one hour. A private property owner cannot allow a vehicle on the property to violate the chapter and must notify owners and operators of vehicles entering the property of its requirements.

Coverage is set by weight and fuel. Section 11.34.030 applies the chapter to diesel fueled commercial motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over ten thousand pounds, and § 11.34.020 defines idling as the engine running while the vehicle is stationary. The definition of commercial motor vehicle excludes a zero-emission vehicle and a pickup truck as defined in CVC Section 471.

Section 11.34.050 lists exemptions: stops for traffic control devices and signals, traffic conditions the driver cannot control, or the direction of a peace officer; safety inspection, testing, servicing or repair; a turbo charger cool-down of three to five minutes as the manufacturer recommends; work equipment such as a lift, crane or pump; and battery recharge for a hybrid. A driver required by law to rest can idle only at a designated rest area or truck stop, and not within one thousand feet of a residential area or school. Section 11.34.060 separately bars commercial drivers from practicing parking maneuvers within one hundred feet of a school or a residential neighborhood.