Merced, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)

There is no City of Merced ordinance that bans overnight parking of ordinary passenger vehicles on every city street; a registered, operable car parked legally at the curb is governed mainly by the California Vehicle Code and any posted local signs. The most concrete overnight restriction in the City of Merced applies to recreational vehicles. Chapter 9.84 of the Municipal Code (Recreational Vehicle Parking Regulations) is intended to 'regulate the parking of vehicles actively used as sleeping accommodations,' and it generally bars RVs, trailers, and campers from city streets except when a 72-hour parking pass has been issued. The pass is free, and only two may be obtained per 30-day period, so an RV cannot be left overnight on a city street indefinitely. Separately, any vehicle (RV or car) left on a city street for 72 or more consecutive hours becomes subject to removal under California Vehicle Code 22651(k), which the city expressly cites in its recreational-vehicle penalty notice. Posted signs and painted curbs may impose tighter local overnight limits at specific locations. Drivers using a vehicle as overnight lodging should also be aware that occupied-RV and oversize-vehicle complaints are handled directly by the Police Department's Parking Enforcement Unit.