Del Norte County, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)

Del Norte County's overnight parking restrictions focus on county-owned property and posted restricted areas rather than a blanket ban on residential streets. County Code Section 12.20.020 (Overnight camping and parking restrictions) makes it 'unlawful for any person to park overnight, either tended or unattended, any recreational vehicle, or to camp overnight in any manner, whether by tent, sleeping bag or other means' upon property owned or controlled by the county. Related provisions in Chapter 12.20 prohibit overnight parking or camping on most county-owned properties except in authorized campgrounds, and define overnight as 'any portion of the period between sunset of any given day and sunrise of the following day.' Areas such as South Beach are treated as restricted driving/no-overnight areas and are posted with 'No Overnight Parking or Camping' signs. County Counsel has described a violation of the camping ordinance as an infraction carrying escalating fines, reported at $100 for a first offense and rising to $500 and $700 for repeat violations, though the Board of Supervisors has at times directed deputies to use 'deliberative enforcement' to encourage compliance rather than immediately cite. On ordinary residential streets there is no county-wide overnight ban; instead the California Vehicle Code applies, including the 72-hour limit for vehicles left standing on a highway. The County has worked with Crescent City to keep overnight parking rules consistent at locations such as Preston Island.