Lakewood, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Street storage limit
- 72 consecutive hours (Sec. 3252)
- Resolution overnight ban
- 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., no signs required
- City lot overnight ban
- 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. (Sec. 4225)
- Towing authority
- Cal. Veh. Code Sec. 22651(k) and (n)
- Who pays
- Registered owner covers towing and storage
- Enforced by
- LA County Sheriff's Dept under city contract
Summary
Lakewood enforces overnight and long-term street parking through its own ordinances plus state removal authority. City Council resolutions can ban curbside parking between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. on specific streets without even posting a sign, Municipal Code Section 3252 caps any street or alley stay at 72 consecutive hours citywide, and California Vehicle Code Section 22651 gives officers the power to tow.
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. ... (n) Whenever a vehicle is parked or left standing where local authorities, by resolution or ordinance, have prohibited parking and have authorized the removal of vehicles. Except as provided in subdivisions (v) and (w), a vehicle shall not be removed unless signs are posted giving notice of the removal.
Full Breakdown
Lakewood layers three separate rules on overnight and long-term street parking, all enforced through state removal authority rather than a standalone city fine. m. That means an overnight curfew adopted by council resolution can apply on a Lakewood street even without a posted sign. Second, Section 3252, titled 'Use of Street for Storage of Vehicles Prohibited,' bans leaving any vehicle on a street or alley for more than 72 consecutive hours citywide, with no council resolution needed to trigger it. where signs are posted, citing Vehicle Code Section 22519, though the Council can set different posted hours by its own resolution.
None of these three local sections write their own criminal penalty; the enforcement tool is removal. Vehicle Code Section 22651(n) lets a peace officer or a city parking employee tow a vehicle wherever local authorities have adopted a parking prohibition by resolution or ordinance and posted notice, and Section 22651(k) separately authorizes towing once a vehicle has sat on a highway for 72 or more consecutive hours in violation of a local ordinance, matching Lakewood's own Section 3252 cap. Lakewood contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for patrol, so it is Sheriff's deputies, not a city police force, who post the notices and call the tow trucks.
Violations & Fines
There is no misdemeanor citation for an overnight parking violation; the remedy is removal. Vehicle Code Section 22651(n) lets a posted resolution against curbside parking authorize towing, and Section 22651(k) lets Lakewood tow any vehicle left on a street or alley beyond the 72-hour cap set in Section 3252. The registered owner pays the towing and storage costs before the vehicle is released.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Lakewood tow my car for parking overnight on the street?
Does Lakewood require signs for every overnight parking restriction?
How long can I leave my car parked on the same street?
What about parking overnight in a city-owned parking lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
How Lakewood compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Lakewood to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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Overnight Parking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle overnight parking.