San Francisco, CA Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

3 authorizes off-street accessory parking for residential uses in driveways, then fences it in with three limitations. First, boats, trailers, recreational vehicles, mobile homes, and buses cannot be parked in the driveway at all; these vehicle types are banned outright rather than counted against the vehicle cap. Second, no more than two vehicles may be parked in a driveway per lot, and the section closes every workaround by adding that the cap holds regardless of the lot size, the number of driveways, or the driveway length.

A large lot gets two vehicles, a lot with several driveways gets two vehicles total across all of them, and a driveway long enough to stack more cars still tops out at two. Third, vehicles parked in the driveway cannot encroach onto the public right-of-way, so a car must fit within the confines of the driveway rather than overhanging the sidewalk or street. The section speaks of operable vehicles, so what it permits is the parking of vehicles that run. The same rules cover driveways kept after a garage is converted into an ADU or JADU, which matters in San Francisco because a garage conversion can leave the driveway as a home's only parking.

Violations are handled through Planning Code compliance and can draw a Planning Department Notice of Violation with required removal of the non-conforming vehicle or use.