Merced, CA Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)

The City of Merced uses California's uniform curb-color code, set in California Vehicle Code 21458, so the meaning of a painted curb in Merced is the same as anywhere in the state. Under CVC 21458: a red curb means 'no stopping, standing, or parking, whether the vehicle is attended or unattended'; a yellow curb means 'stopping only for the purpose of loading or unloading passengers or freight'; a white curb means stopping only for 'loading or unloading of passengers' or 'depositing mail in an adjacent mailbox'; a green curb means 'time limit parking specified by local ordinance'; and a blue curb means 'parking limited exclusively to the vehicles of disabled persons and disabled veterans.' These markings carry legal force only when applied by the city under its traffic authority; a resident or business may not paint a curb red or otherwise create a regulatory marking on a public street, and unauthorized curb painting can itself be a code violation and is subject to removal by Public Works. Requests for a red curb near a driveway or corner, or a blue disabled-parking curb, go through the city's Public Works / Engineering traffic division. The Police Department's Parking Enforcement Unit cites vehicles that violate painted-curb restrictions, with citations processed by the contracted Citation Processing Center and payable or contestable within 21 days.