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

Sec. 408 sits in Article 4, Traffic Control Devices, right after the City Traffic Engineer's own authority to mark center lines, lane lines and roadway striping in Sec. 407, and Sec. 406's rule that no sign-dependent traffic provision can be enforced unless a legible official sign is posted. Against that backdrop, Sec. 408 flatly prohibits any person other than the City from painting a street or curb surface, with one narrow exception for curb address numbering carried out under a City-approved resolution or ordinance. The rule dates to Ord.

1651, effective July 20, 1967, the same founding ordinance that later established the City's official curb color scheme in Article 12: red for no stopping at any time, yellow for loading zones, and white for passenger loading, each reserved exclusively for markings placed by the City Traffic Engineer under Sec. 1202. A private curb-painting job, whatever color, has no legal effect under that scheme and can create confusion about which curb rules actually apply. Enforcement of Sec. 408 runs through the Ontario Police Department's Traffic Division, created under Sec. 201 and directed under Sec. 202 to enforce the City's street traffic regulations and applicable state Vehicle Code provisions.