Glendale, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Local limit
- 72 consecutive hours (§ 10.28.100)
- State tow authority
- Cal. Veh. Code § 22651(k)
- Street-work tow notice
- 24 hours posted (§ 22651(l))
- Enforcement
- Glendale police division
- Proof method
- Chalk marks under § 10.28.210
- Towing cost
- Owner pays garage lien
Summary
Glendale police may tow any vehicle left on a city street, alley or city-owned lot for 72 or more consecutive hours under Municipal Code Section 10.28.100, and California Vehicle Code Section 22651(k) is the state authority letting the city enforce that local ordinance by removal. A second trigger, subdivision (l), lets the city post 24-hour notice and tow vehicles blocking street repair or utility work.
A peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, or a regularly employed and salaried employee who is engaged in directing traffic or enforcing parking laws and regulations of a city, county, or jurisdiction of a state agency in which a vehicle is located may remove a vehicle located within the territorial limits in which the officer or employee may act, under the following circumstances: ... (k) If a vehicle is parked or left standing upon a highway for 72 or more consecutive hours in violation of a local ordinance authorizing removal. (l) If a vehicle is illegally parked on a highway in violation of a local ordinance forbidding standing or parking and the use of a highway, or a portion thereof, is necessary for the cleaning, repair, or construction of the highway, or for the installation of underground utilities, and signs giving notice that the vehicle may be removed are erected or placed at least 24 hours prior to the removal by a local authority pursuant to the ordinance.
Full Breakdown
100: no person may park a vehicle upon any street, alley or city-owned property for more than a period of seventy-two consecutive hours. That local ordinance only has teeth because California Vehicle Code Section 22651(k) authorizes removal whenever a vehicle is parked or left standing upon a highway for 72 or more consecutive hours in violation of a local ordinance authorizing removal; without the state statute, the city could ticket but not tow. 120, spells out the mechanics: any police officer or regularly employed and salaried city employee engaged in enforcing parking laws may remove an overstaying vehicle in the manner prescribed by, and subject to the requirements of, the state Vehicle Code beginning with Section 22650, and must give the same notices required under Chapter 10 of Division 11 of that code.
The garage that stores a towed vehicle can place a lien on it for towing and storage charges, collectible under the conditions the state Vehicle Code sets. Subdivision (l) of Section 22651 covers a related but distinct trigger: a vehicle illegally parked in violation of a local no-standing ordinance can be towed without waiting 72 hours if the street is needed for cleaning, repair, construction or utility installation, provided the city posts removal-warning signs at least 24 hours before the tow. 110 mirrors that requirement, letting officers remove vehicles blocking street work as long as signs go up at least twenty-four hours ahead.
210 are the usual proof a vehicle has not moved; removing chalk before a car has traveled at least three hundred feet from where it was marked is itself a separate violation.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the 72-hour limit is enforceable as a tow-away offense, not merely a fine: officers may have the vehicle removed to a storage garage under Vehicle Code Section 22651(k) once the 72 hours run, and the registered owner then owes towing and storage charges directly to the storage yard along with any citation issued under Glendale's own $500-cap infraction schedule in Municipal Code Section 1.20.010(C). A vehicle towed for blocking posted street work under subdivision (l) is released the same way once the work-zone signage comes down.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I leave my car parked on a Glendale street?
Does the city have to warn me before towing a 72-hour violation?
Who pays for a car towed under the 72-hour rule?
Can the city tow my car for a street-cleaning closure before 72 hours pass?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
How Glendale compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Glendale to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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