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San Leandro, CA Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
SLMC § 6-1-505
Yellow/white loading limit
3 minutes, driver in attendance
Blue zone
Disabled placard/plate only
First infraction fine cap
$100 (§ 1-12-200(c))
Who designates colors
City Manager or designee

Summary

San Leandro assigns five curb-paint meanings under SLMC § 6-1-505: red bans all stopping (except bus loading), yellow and white cap loading stops at three minutes, green marks time-limited zones, and blue reserves spaces for disabled placard holders.

Whenever the City Manager, or designee, designates parking prohibitions or restrictions and directs the placement of curb markings...the following colors only shall be used, and the colors indicate as follows: (a) RED indicates no stopping, standing, or parking, except that a bus may stop in a red zone marked or sign posted as a bus loading zone. (b) YELLOW indicates no stopping, standing, or parking, except for the purpose of active loading or unloading passengers or freight... Non-commercial vehicles shall not be parked in a yellow zone in excess of a period of three minutes, during which the operator must be in attendance... (c) WHITE indicates no stopping, standing, or parking, for any purpose other than loading or unloading passengers or depositing mail in an adjacent mailbox...and in no case for more than three minutes. (d) GREEN indicates no stopping, standing, or parking, for a period of time greater than the specified time limit and/or days by posted signs. (e) BLUE indicates parking limited exclusively to the vehicles of physically handicapped persons displaying a distinguishing license plate or a placard issued pursuant to California Vehicle Code Section 22511.5.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4967405; v8 updated 2026-07-06).

Full Breakdown

Section 6-1-505 of the San Leandro Municipal Code tells drivers exactly what each curb color means once the City Manager or a designee has ordered the marking painted. Red means no stopping, standing or parking at all, with a single carve-out for a bus stopping in a posted bus-loading red zone. Yellow is a commercial loading color: non-commercial vehicles may stop no more than three minutes and the driver must stay with the car the whole time. White works the same way for passenger loading and even mail drop-offs, again capped at three minutes, and that limit runs at all times unless a posted sign narrows it to specific hours.

Green marks a time-limited zone where the exact minutes allowed are set by the posted sign rather than the ordinance itself. 5; parking there without one is a separate, more serious violation than an ordinary overtime ticket. Because the ordinance says these are the only colors that may be used, an unofficial or faded curb marking cannot be enforced as a restriction until the City repaints or re-signs it. The Engineering and Transportation Department, acting through the City Manager's designee, decides which curbs get painted and what the posted hours are, so the citywide color code stays uniform even though individual block restrictions vary by council or staff action.

Violations & Fines

Overtime or unauthorized parking against a curb color is enforced as a Municipal Code infraction under § 1-12-200(c): a fine up to $100 for a first violation in a year, up to $200 for a second, and a third violation of the same section within 12 months can be charged as a misdemeanor. Blue-zone violations without a valid placard carry the separate, higher state disabled-parking penalty under the Vehicle Code rather than the ordinary curb-color fine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I stop in a yellow curb zone to run into a store?
No. Yellow is for active loading or unloading of passengers or freight only, and non-commercial vehicles are limited to three minutes with the driver staying at the vehicle the whole time under SLMC § 6-1-505(b).
Is a white curb the same as a passenger loading zone everywhere in the city?
The three-minute white-zone rule applies citywide at all times unless a posted sign narrows it to specific hours or days, per § 6-1-505(c).
What happens if I park in a blue zone without a placard?
You are parked in a space reserved exclusively for vehicles displaying a valid disabled placard or plate under California Vehicle Code § 22511.5, referenced in § 6-1-505(e), and it is cited separately from ordinary curb-color infractions.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in San Leandro

All San Leandro rules

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