Gilroy, CA Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Red zone
- no stopping, standing or parking at any time
- Yellow zone hours
- 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., except Sun./holidays
- Yellow zone passenger limit
- under 3 minutes
- Yellow zone materials limit
- under 20 minutes
- Blue zone
- disabled placard/plate only, at all times
Summary
Gilroy's city administrator paints curbs red, yellow, green and blue to signal parking restrictions, each with its own meaning under City Code Section 15.90. Red bars stopping outright, yellow allows brief commercial loading, and blue reserves the space for a vehicle displaying a disabled placard or plate.
The city administrator is authorized, subject to the provisions and limitations of this chapter, to place and when required by this chapter or other ordinance of the city, shall place the following curb or pavement markings to indicate parking or standing regulations and such markings shall have the meanings as set forth: Red: No stopping, standing or parking at any time except as permitted by the state vehicle code and except that a bus may stop in a red zone marked or signed as a bus zone. Yellow: No stopping, standing or parking at any time between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. of any day except Sundays and holidays for any purpose other than the loading or unloading of passengers which shall consume less than three (3) minutes or the loading or unloading of materials which shall consume less than twenty (20) minutes. ... Blue (in conjunction with a blue and white wheelchair and occupant sign): No stopping, standing or parking at any time by any vehicle which does not display a distinguishing license plate or placard issued under the vehicle code to a disabled person or disabled veteran.
Full Breakdown
Section 15.90 gives the city administrator authority to place curb or pavement markings and fixes what each color means. Red means no stopping, standing or parking at any time, except as the state Vehicle Code allows or where a red zone is also signed as a bus stop. Yellow means no stopping, standing or parking between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on any day except Sundays and holidays, for any purpose other than loading or unloading passengers in under three minutes or materials in under 20 minutes.
Blue, paired with a wheelchair-and-occupant sign, reserves the space at all times for a vehicle displaying a distinguishing disabled-person or disabled-veteran plate or placard. A separate white-zone rule limits stops to loading or unloading passengers for no more than three minutes during the same daytime hours, with hotels and open theaters subject to the restriction around the clock, and a green-zone rule caps standing at 10 minutes during the same 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. window. Section 15.91 makes it unlawful to stop, stand or park in violation of any legible curb marking placed under this authority, so the painted color controls once it is visible on the curb or pavement, independent of any posted sign.
Violations & Fines
Parking in violation of a legible curb color marking is enforceable as an infraction under the Code's general penalty, Section 1.7: up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second and $500 for a third within a year, escalating to a misdemeanor with up to $1,000 in fines or six months in jail, or both, for a fourth or later violation. Blue-zone violations are additionally subject to the disabled-parking penalties in the state Vehicle Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a yellow curb mean in Gilroy?
Can I ever park in a red zone?
Who can park at a blue curb?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gilroy
California rules heatmap·Compare Gilroy to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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Curb Color Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle curb color rules.