Madera County, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)

There is no county code section creating a blanket overnight or commercial-area overnight parking prohibition across the unincorporated area. Instead, two time-based mechanisms control long-term street parking. First, California Vehicle Code Section 22651(k) authorizes removal of any vehicle parked or left standing on a highway for 72 or more consecutive hours where a local ordinance authorizes removal. Second, Madera County Code Chapter 10.34 makes it unlawful to leave a wrecked, dismantled, inoperative, or unregistered vehicle on public or private property, including highways, for more than 72 consecutive hours unless it is enclosed or properly screened (Section 10.34.060). For overnight parking in county-owned lots, Chapter 10.21 (County Parking Facilities) lets the county post regulations and reserve spaces, with violations punishable as infractions and authority to tow illegally parked or abandoned vehicles (Sections 10.21.020-10.21.050). The county does not operate residential permit-only overnight zones. As a practical matter, an operable, registered vehicle can park overnight on most county roads provided it does not remain in one place beyond 72 hours, sit in a posted no-parking zone (Chapter 10.36), or otherwise violate the Vehicle Code. Posted signs always control where they exist.