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Monterey County, CA Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

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

Key Facts

Hatton Avenue, Spreckels
Loading only, 20 ft, in effect at all times
Rogge Road
Loading only, 60 ft, in effect at all times
Highlands Drive
20-minute passenger loading limit
Marked by
Director of Transportation via signs or curb paint
Violation type
Parking infraction, not a misdemeanor

Summary

Monterey County designates a handful of specific unincorporated curb spaces as passenger and freight loading zones under Code §§ 12.66.010 and 12.66.020. Parking is banned there except to load or unload, with a strict twenty-minute cap on Highlands Drive and an unlimited-time loading allowance on Hatton Avenue in Spreckels and on Rogge Road.

City-specific rules exist: Salinas has its own loading zones rules that differ from Monterey County's county-level regulations. If you live in Salinas, check the city-specific page instead.

No person shall stop, park, or leave standing any vehicle, whether attended or unattended, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a peace officer or official traffic control device, in any of the places specified below except for the purpose of loading or unloading passengers and/or freight. This regulation shall be effective upon the days and during the hours specified below for each such place: Hatton Avenue, on the east side of Hatton Avenue, in Spreckels, from a point two hundred seventeen (217) feet north of the northeast curb return at Fourth Street, northerly for a distance of twenty (20) feet; effective times: at all times.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).

Full Breakdown

66 of the Monterey County Code carves out narrow, named curb segments in the unincorporated county where ordinary parking is prohibited so the space stays open for passenger and freight loading. 010 bars any vehicle, attended or unattended, from stopping, parking, or standing except to load or unload passengers and/or freight, and applies "at all times" to two locations: the east side of Hatton Avenue in Spreckels, starting 217 feet north of the curb return at Fourth Street and running 20 feet north, and a 60-foot stretch on the south side of Rogge Road beginning 330 feet west of Bollenbacher Drive.

020 imposes a tighter, twenty-minute passenger-loading limit, currently applied only to a 30-foot segment on the west side of Highlands Drive, 352 feet south of the centerline of Fern Canyon Road, again in effect at all times. Both sections exempt vehicles stopped to avoid a traffic conflict or on the direction of a peace officer or traffic-control device. 64, which are reserved for common-carrier buses picking up and dropping off passengers at designated Carmel-area and Blanco Road curb spaces. The Director of Transportation marks passenger/freight loading zones with signage or curb painting, and the Board of Supervisors can add locations by ordinance.

Violations & Fines

Parking in a designated loading zone beyond the posted purpose is a standing or parking violation, one of the categories the Code's general penalty section, § 1.20.040(A)(2), classifies as an infraction rather than a misdemeanor. Citations are issued by Sheriff's deputies or authorized traffic officers, with fines set by the County's Fee Resolution and escalating for repeat offenses within a year.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can I park in a Monterey County passenger loading zone?
Monterey County sets different time limits for its two loading-zone types. Highlands Drive carries a twenty-minute passenger-loading cap under § 12.66.020. Hatton Avenue in Spreckels and Rogge Road carry no posted time limit under § 12.66.010, as long as the vehicle is actively loading or unloading passengers or freight.
Where are Monterey County's loading zones located?
Monterey County Code § 12.66.010 designates two loading zones: a 20-foot segment on the east side of Hatton Avenue in Spreckels, and a 60-foot segment on the south side of Rogge Road near Bollenbacher Drive. Section 12.66.020 adds a third, on the west side of Highlands Drive near Fern Canyon Road.
What happens if I park in a Monterey County loading zone without loading?
Parking there for a purpose other than loading passengers or freight is a parking infraction under the Code's general violations section, § 1.20.040(A)(2), and can draw a citation from a Sheriff's deputy or authorized traffic enforcement officer.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Monterey County

All Monterey County rules

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