San Benito County, CA Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Urban standard
- Concrete, asphalt, brick, or cobblestone
- Ag-district option
- Compacted aggregate base, dust-controlled
- Rural exception towns
- Tres Pinos, Dunneville, Aromas
- Governs
- Unincorporated San Benito County only
Summary
Unincorporated San Benito County requires most off-street parking areas to be paved, but allows an unpaved, dust-free all-weather surface for parking in agricultural districts and the rural communities of Tres Pinos, Dunneville, and Aromas.
Community/rural standard. Commercial, industrial, multiple-residential uses and uses requiring discretionary permits in the communities of Tres Pinos, Dunneville and Aromas shall provide parking areas with an all-weather surface that does not generate visible dust. Parking areas located outside the urban area standard area and the communities stated in this section shall be paved unless in an agricultural district (as either the base zone or the actual district).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-28: current through Ordinance 1078).
Full Breakdown
Under the county's off-street parking design standards (§ 25.07.010(I)(8)), parking areas within one mile of a LAFCO-adopted city sphere of influence must be surfaced with concrete, asphalt, brick, or cobblestone (subsection (a)). Outside that urban-standard area, and outside Tres Pinos, Dunneville, and Aromas, parking must still be paved unless the parcel is zoned or used for agriculture: agricultural-district parking may instead use compacted CALTRANS-grade aggregate base or decomposed granite with a dust-controlling surface treatment (subsection (c)(3)). This governs unincorporated county parcels only; Hollister and San Juan Bautista set their own parking-surface standards.
Violations & Fines
Non-compliant parking surfacing is a zoning code violation enforceable under the county's general penalty clause: up to $1,000 in fines, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense (§ 1.01.007).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park on a gravel driveway in unincorporated San Benito County?
Does this apply in Hollister?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Benito County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Benito County to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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