Novato, CA Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Novato Municipal Code § 18-7.12 gives each curb color a legal meaning in the City of Novato, Marin County, California. Yellow curb means no stopping, standing, or parking between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. of any day, except Sunday and holidays, for any purpose other than loading or unloading passengers or freight. The section runs two clocks: loading or unloading of passengers cannot consume more than three minutes, and loading or unloading of freight cannot consume more than one hour. White curb is narrower. It allows stopping only to load or unload passengers, or to deposit mail in an adjacent mailbox, for a time not to exceed three minutes, and those restrictions apply at all times unless signs authorized by the chapter say otherwise.

Red curb bans stopping at any time except for a bus in a marked bus zone, and green curb limits standing to the period the city traffic engineer designates and posts. The Traffic chapter defines a loading zone as the space adjacent to the curb reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles during the loading or unloading of passengers or freight. Metered spaces carry one more rule: Section 18-11.4 exempts commercial delivery vehicles from the meter deposit requirement while loading and unloading merchandise for periods not exceeding 20 minutes.

Private property is a separate matter. Section 19.30.110 of the Zoning Ordinance requires on-site loading spaces for nonresidential uses and says loading and unloading must take place on-site and in no case within adjacent public rights-of-way. Those spaces measure 12 feet wide and 45 feet long with 14 feet of vertical clearance, except that office facilities and nonresidential uses under 10,000 square feet can use 10 feet by 30 feet. Curb-adjacent loading areas are marked with a yellow painted curb and the words "Loading only."