Santa Barbara County, CA Parking Rules: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (2026)

Unincorporated Santa Barbara County limits large commercial vehicles on its roads through Chapter 23 (Motor Vehicles and Traffic). Section 23-304 restricts the parking of buses, trucks, tractors, and similar vehicles in residential districts to no more than two hours unless a permit is obtained. Section 23-305 governs the regulation of truck loading zones. More broadly, California Vehicle Code Section 22507 authorizes the County, by ordinance or resolution, to prohibit or restrict the stopping, standing, or parking of vehicles, including specified types such as commercial vehicles, on county roads during designated hours, provided signs or markings give adequate notice.

The County may also designate parking and loading zones by resolution under County Code Section 23-11. For travel rather than parking, large trucks remain subject to statewide size-and-weight limits and any County-designated truck routes. On private property, parking or storing commercial vehicles is a land-use matter addressed in the County's Land Use and Development Code and Coastal Zoning Ordinance, where allowed uses and surfacing depend on the zone district. Because the County's residential restriction (Sec. 23-304) is a two-hour limit tied to a permit rather than an outright ban, operators of work trucks or buses should plan around that window, posted signs, and any applicable loading-zone designation.