La Mesa, CA Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Section 24.04.030(C) requires that all required parking for one- and two-family homes be provided inside a private garage, though the code allows temporary parking of private cars on the driveway leading to that garage. Subsection (F) then limits how much of the yard can be paved for parking: paved area between the front property line and the front setback line, or between a side property line and the side setback line on a corner lot, cannot exceed fifty percent of that yard, and every square foot used for parking or access to it must be improved with concrete, asphalt, or another permanent material the Planning Department approves, such as brick or ornamental paving; a special permit under section 24.02.050 can authorize exceeding the fifty-percent cap on cul-de-sac or other narrow lots.

Subsection (G) caps how long a vehicle can sit in the driveway blocking access to the required parking at seventy-two hours, after which the vehicle must move unless the owner obtains an adjustment under section 24.02.040. Section 24.05.040(A)(3) repeats the hard-surface duty as a property-maintenance requirement, and section 24.05.040(A)(7) separately bars leaving an inoperable vehicle or vehicle parts outside a garage for more than seventy-two hours. Together these sections mean a resident can park in the driveway short-term but cannot convert a front yard into unpaved parking; that exception is reserved for approved recreational-vehicle parking areas under section 24.04.030(F).