Palm Springs, CA Parking Rules: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 11.96.020(b)
- Motor trucks in residential zones
- enclosed building only
- Exempt trucks
- under 6½ ft tall or 20 ft long
- Also exempt
- actively loading, delivering, or under repair
- Screened-yard option
- not available to motor trucks
- First offense
- infraction, up to $100 fine
- Adopted by
- Ordinance 1288 (1987)
Summary
Parking or storing a motor truck in any Palm Springs residential zone is unlawful unless it is inside an enclosed building, per Section 11.96.020(b). Small motor trucks under 6½ feet tall or 20 feet long, and trucks actively used for pickup, delivery, construction or repair work, are exempt.
(b) It shall be unlawful to park or store a motor truck in any residential zone of the city except within an enclosed building.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4923139; v14 updated 2026-06-24).
Full Breakdown
020(b) of the Palm Springs Municipal Code bars parking or storing a motor truck, defined by reference to California Vehicle Code Section 410, in any residential zone of the city except inside an enclosed building; there is no outdoor-storage option comparable to the screened-yard exception the code allows for recreational vehicles and boats. 040 carves out two exemptions: motor trucks under six and one-half feet in height or twenty feet in length, and motor trucks used during pickup and delivery or during construction or repair work while in service.
A truck that does not fit either exemption and is not inside a garage or similar enclosed structure is in violation the moment it parks on a residential street, driveway, or yard. 020(a) unless it is in an approved mobile-home-park or RV-park storage space, inside an enclosed building, or screened from view outside required front or side yards, so the commercial-vehicle and motor-truck rules run on separate, and in the motor-truck's case stricter, tracks within the same section. The chapter dates to Ordinance 1288 of 1987 and was amended by Ordinance 1377 in 1991.
Violations & Fines
Violating Section 11.96.020(b) is enforced under the code's general penalty scheme: a first offense is an infraction under Section 1.01.140, fined up to $100 under Section 1.01.155, rising to $200 for a second violation and $500 for further violations within a year. A second violation of the same provision within one year, or each day a truck remains illegally parked, can be charged as a misdemeanor under Section 1.01.150, punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail under Section 1.01.160.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my work truck in my driveway overnight in Palm Springs?
Is there a size limit that makes a pickup truck exempt from the ban?
What is the difference between the commercial vehicle rule and the motor truck rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Springs
California rules heatmap·Compare Palm Springs to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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