Cupertino, CA Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Red curb
- No stopping, standing, or parking at any time
- Yellow curb
- Loading only; 20 min materials, 3 min passengers
- White curb
- Passenger loading only, 3 minutes
- Green curb
- 12-minute limit, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. except Sundays/holidays
- Blue curb
- Disabled placard or plate vehicles only
- First-offense fine
- Up to $100 under Chapter 1.12
Summary
Cupertino's Traffic Engineer assigns curb colors under Municipal Code Sec. 11.24.040: red bans stopping entirely, yellow and white mark loading zones, green limits parking to twelve minutes, and blue reserves spaces for disabled placard holders.
No-parking Zone. ... Red means no stopping, standing, or parking at any time except as permitted by the Vehicle Code, and except that a bus may stop in a red zone marked or signed as a bus zone. Loading Zone. Yellow means no stopping, standing or parking for any purpose other than the loading or unloading of passengers or materials to and from commercial vehicles making commercial deliveries; provided, that the loading or unloading of passengers shall not consume more than three minutes, nor the loading or unloading of materials more than twenty minutes ... Restricted Parking Zone. Green means no stopping, standing, or parking for longer than twelve minutes at any time between seven a.m. and six p.m. on any day except Sundays and holidays ... Handicapped Parking Zone. Blue means no stopping, standing, or parking except for vehicles of physically handicapped persons.
Full Breakdown
040 gives the City Traffic Engineer authority to place curb markings and signs, and fixes what each color means. Red means no stopping, standing, or parking at any time, except a bus may stop in a signed bus zone. Yellow marks a loading zone: no stopping except to load or unload commercial deliveries, capped at three minutes for passengers and twenty minutes for materials unless a sign posts a different limit. White marks a passenger loading zone, capped at three minutes unless signed otherwise. on days other than Sundays and holidays, unless a different period is posted.
Blue reserves the space for vehicles displaying a handicapped placard or plate. 070 lets the Traffic Engineer mark individual parking spaces along curbs. 5 and 9105, and must be identified with blue paint plus optional signage.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the curb-marking rules in Chapter 11.24, including parking in a red, yellow, white, green or blue zone contrary to its posted meaning, is an infraction under Section 11.24.210, punished under Chapter 1.12: up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for each subsequent violation of the same provision within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I park at a yellow curb in Cupertino?
What does a green curb mean in Cupertino?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cupertino
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Curb Color Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle curb color rules.