Mountain View, CA Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Commercial loading limit
- 20 minutes maximum
- Passenger/baggage loading limit
- 3 minutes maximum
- Curb coverage cap
- No more than half a block's curb
- Zone markings
- Yellow curb = loading; white curb = passenger
- First-offense fine
- Up to $100 under Sec. 1.7
Summary
Mountain View caps commercial loading in a marked yellow loading zone at 20 minutes and passenger loading or baggage handling at 3 minutes. The city traffic engineer marks these zones, which cannot cover more than half the curb length of any block.
Permission herein granted to stop or stand a vehicle for the purposes of loading or unloading of materials shall apply only to commercial vehicles, and shall not extend beyond the time necessary therefor, and in no event for more than twenty (20) minutes. The loading or unloading of materials shall apply only to commercial deliveries; also the delivery or pickup of express and parcel post packages and United States mail. Permission herein granted to stop or park for purposes of loading or unloading passengers shall include the loading or unloading of personal baggage, but shall not extend beyond the time necessary therefor, and in no event for more than three (3) minutes.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 34 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 85 authorizes the city traffic engineer to designate loading zones anywhere in the business district, or in front of any place of business, school, park, public building, or assembly hall, but caps the total space so reserved at no more than half the curb length of any block. Yellow curb paint stenciled "LOADING ZONE" in black marks commercial zones; white curb paint stenciled "PASSENGER LOADING ZONE" marks passenger zones, or the passenger zones may instead be posted by sign. Sec. mail and express/parcel post pickup.
Loading or unloading passengers, including personal baggage, is capped at 3 minutes. " Sec. 87 then makes it unlawful to stop, stand or park in a yellow loading zone for any purpose other than loading or unloading within those time limits. A driver who parks to run an errand, or who leaves a commercial vehicle standing well past the 20-minute mark, is in violation even though the curb is legally a loading zone. These sections date to city ordinances from 1960 and 1966 and remain the operative loading-zone rules; the city traffic engineer's placement of signs or curb markings, not a private property owner, controls where a loading zone actually exists on the ground.
Violations & Fines
Standing or parking in a marked loading zone beyond the 20-minute (commercial) or 3-minute (passenger) limit, or for any purpose other than loading or unloading, violates Sec. 19.87 and Sec. 19.88. Under the citywide penalty schedule at Sec. 1.7, a first infraction is fined up to $100, a second within a year up to $200, and a third up to $500; a fourth violation within the same year can be charged as a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a delivery truck park in a Mountain View loading zone?
What is the time limit for dropping off a passenger in a Mountain View loading zone?
Who decides where loading zones go in Mountain View?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mountain View
California rules heatmap·Compare Mountain View to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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Loading Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle loading zones.