Sonoma, CA Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Who may paint curbs
- Only the City of Sonoma
- Exception
- Address numbers allowed
- Governing chapter
- SMC Ch. 10.20 Traffic Control Devices
- First-offense fine
- Up to $100 (SMC § 1.12.010)
- Current through
- Ordinance 13-2025 (Dec. 3, 2025)
Summary
In the City of Sonoma, only the city itself may paint curbs or street surfaces to mark parking and traffic restrictions. Sonoma Municipal Code § 10.20.090 bars anyone else from painting a curb, though residents may still paint address numbers on their own curb under separate city rules. Curb colors carry specific legal meaning set by the city traffic engineer and public works superintendent.
No person, unless authorized by this city, shall paint any street or curb surface; provided however, that this section shall not apply to the painting of address numbers on a curb subject to applicable city regulations.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 13-2025, passed December 3, 2025).
Full Breakdown
090 makes unauthorized curb or street painting unlawful citywide, with a single carve-out for painting address numbers on a curb, which remains subject to the city's own numbering rules. 040. 010: yellow paint marks a general loading zone, and white paint marks a passenger loading zone. on any day but Sunday or a holiday for anything other than loading; white permits only passenger loading or a mail drop of no more than three minutes in that same daily window; and green bars standing longer than 15 minutes at any time on any day. 090 regardless of intent. This provision is current through Ordinance 13-2025, passed December 3, 2025.
Violations & Fines
Section 10.20.090 carries no penalty of its own, so a violation falls to the citywide general penalty in Sonoma Municipal Code § 1.12.010: prosecuted as an infraction, it is punishable by a fine of up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second violation of the same section within a year, and $500 for a third or subsequent violation, or the city may instead pursue it as a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I paint the curb in front of my Sonoma home red to keep it clear?
What does a white curb mean in the City of Sonoma?
Am I allowed to paint address numbers on my curb?
What happens if I'm cited for painting a curb without authorization?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sonoma
California rules heatmap·Compare Sonoma to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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Curb Color Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sonoma County handle curb color rules.