Downey, CA Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Red curb
- No stopping/standing/parking at any time
- Yellow curb
- Loading only, 7am-6pm, 3/20 min
- White curb
- Passenger loading, 3 minutes max
- Green curb
- 10-30 minute parking, Traffic Engineer sets limit
- Blue curb
- Disabled placard/plate required
- Governing section
- Downey Municipal Code § 3193
Summary
Downey's City Traffic Engineer assigns meaning to painted curb colors under Municipal Code Section 3193: red bars all stopping, yellow and white limit loading, green caps parking time, and blue reserves disabled spaces. Parking against a marked curb in violation of its color is a citable offense.
(a) The City Traffic Engineer is hereby authorized, subject to the provisions and limitations of this chapter, to place, and when required herein, shall place the following curb markings and signs to indicate parking or standing regulation and such curb markings shall have the following meanings: (1) Red shall mean no stopping, standing, or parking at any time, except as permitted by the California Vehicle Code except that a bus may stop in a red zone marked or signed as a bus zone for the purpose of loading or unloading passengers... (4) Green shall designate time-limited parking zones and shall mean no standing or parking for longer than a maximum time ranging from 10 to 30 minutes, as determined by the City Traffic Engineer, at any time between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. of any day, except Sundays and holidays... (5) Blue shall designate disabled parking zones and shall mean no stopping, standing, or parking for any purpose other than for the exclusive use of physically challenged persons whose vehicles display a distinguishing license plate or an officially-issued placard.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4807734; v5 updated 2026-01-27).
Full Breakdown
Section 3193 of the Downey Municipal Code gives the City Traffic Engineer authority to place curb markings and defines exactly what each color means citywide. Red curbing bars stopping, standing, or parking at any time except as the California Vehicle Code allows, though a transit bus may still load at a red zone signed as a bus stop. on any day but Sundays and holidays, except for loading, capped at three minutes for passengers and 20 minutes for materials. White curbing limits stopping to passenger loading of three minutes or less during the same daytime window, with the restriction running around the clock in front of a church, hotel, or park, and around the clock in front of a theater except when it is closed.
window on non-Sunday, non-holiday days. 5 or a disabled veteran plate under Section 2015, and must be marked 'DISABLED PARKING ONLY' with supplemental CAMUTCD signage. Section 3193(b) makes it unlawful to stop, stand, or park against any legible curb marking in violation of these rules, though police, fire, and City vehicles on duty are exempt from the time limits. 4, which relies on the same blue-curb marking standard.
Violations & Fines
Parking against a curb marking in violation of Section 3193 is enforced by the Downey Police Department as a parking citation issued under the Vehicle Code and Municipal Code. Repeated or unmoved violations can escalate to a fix-it or citation with an added fee, and a vehicle left in violation for an extended period is subject to tow at the owner's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Downey
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Curb Color Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle curb color rules.