Merced, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Max continuous parking
- 72 consecutive hours
- Enforcement
- Police-authorized tow after 72 hours
- Default posted limit
- 9 a.m.-5 p.m. if hours not specified
- Site-specific overnight ban
- 6 p.m.-6 a.m. where signed (e.g., Nottingham Ave.)
- Citywide overnight curfew
- None absent posted signage
Summary
Merced allows overnight street parking but bans leaving a vehicle parked continuously on any street, alley, or city lot for more than seventy-two consecutive hours. Signed zones can impose shorter limits, defaulting to a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. window when hours aren't otherwise posted.
10.28.030 - Seventy-two consecutive hours-Prohibited. No person who owns or has possession, custody or control of any vehicle shall park such vehicle upon any street, alley or city parking lot for a consecutive period of more than seventy-two (72) hours. 10.28.250 - Overtime parking. ...If no other hours or days are indicated upon such signs or curb markings, the time limitations shall be in force between the hours of nine a.m. and five p.m. on any day except Sundays and holidays.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 - 1-26).
Full Breakdown
Merced has no blanket curfew banning parking on residential streets overnight. 030 sets the outer limit: no person who owns, possesses, or controls a vehicle may park it on any street, alley, or city parking lot for a consecutive period of more than seventy-two hours. 040 authorizes any police department member authorized by the chief of police to remove a vehicle left standing beyond that 72-hour window, in the manner required by the state Vehicle Code. on any day except Sundays and holidays, meaning the default overtime rule does not restrict overnight hours at all. 210, confirming overnight bans exist only where the city has posted them for that stretch of road.
Violations & Fines
Leaving a vehicle parked for more than 72 consecutive hours violates Section 10.28.030 and subjects the vehicle to removal under Section 10.28.040 and the state Vehicle Code; parking beyond posted overtime hours under Section 10.28.250, or parking overnight on a street specifically signed under Section 10.28.233, results in a parking citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave my car on the street overnight in Merced?
What happens if my car sits on a Merced street for more than three days?
Does Merced ever post overnight no-parking zones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Merced
How Merced compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Merced to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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