Chico, CA Parking Rules: Commercial Vehicle Restrictions (2026)

Under Chico Municipal Code (CMC) §10.20.160, no person who owns or has possession, custody, or control of any commercial vehicle having a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or more may park that vehicle in an R-1 (single-family), R-2, R-3 (medium/high density), R-P (residential professional), RD-1, or RDH residential district between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. The ordinance carves out three exceptions: (1) the vehicle is engaged in making a pickup or delivery of goods, wares, or merchandise from or to a building within the district; (2) the vehicle is being used in actual, bona fide repair, alteration, remodeling, or construction of a building for which a building permit has previously been issued in the district; or (3) the vehicle is engaged in construction of subdivision or public improvements not requiring a building permit. The 10,000-lb GVWR threshold aligns with FMCSA Class 2b/3 vehicles — i.e., most box trucks, dump trucks, larger flatbeds, and many tow trucks. Standard half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickups are typically below this threshold. Beyond the overnight rule, CMC §10.20.180 separately prohibits parking a vehicle on or adjacent to a street primarily to display it for sale, which often catches commercial vehicles offered curbside. Off-street parking design standards under Title 19, Ch. 19.70, require multi-family, commercial, and manufacturing parking areas abutting residential parcels to be screened by a 6-ft wood fence or decorative masonry wall — meaning a contractor cannot simply turn a residential yard into a commercial fleet lot. Chico does not have a posted weight-restriction grid for through truck traffic on residential streets beyond what California Vehicle Code authorizes.