Monterey, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Monterey City Code § 20-85.5
- Restricted hours
- 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Applies where
- Only on streets posted by Council resolution
- Exemption permits
- Residents, guests, disabled persons
- Permit issuer
- Parking Division
Summary
On streets where the City posts signs, § 20-85.5 bans stopping, standing or parking any vehicle between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. The City Council can carve out permits exempting residents, their guests and disabled persons from the ban by resolution.
Sec. 20-85.5. Regulation of overnight parking. No person shall stop, stand or park on any street, when authorized signs are in place giving notice of the restriction, any vehicle between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. The Council may authorize, by resolution, the streets or portions of the streets upon which parking of any vehicle shall be restricted between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. The Council may also authorize, by resolution, a system of permits for the purpose of exempting from the overnight parking regulation disabled persons, residents, and/or guests of residents of residential areas, including, but not limited to, high density and multiple-family dwelling areas, lacking adequate off-street parking facilities.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3721, passed July 7, 2026).
Full Breakdown
wherever the City has posted authorized signs giving notice of the restriction; the ban is not citywide by default but applies only to the specific streets or street portions the City Council designates by resolution. That same resolution authority lets the Council set up a permit system exempting disabled persons, residents, and guests of residents in residential areas, including high-density and multi-family areas that lack adequate off-street parking, from the overnight ban; permits are issued by the Parking Division or its designee, and a vehicle not displaying a valid permit in a permit-exempt zone will still be cited.
The overnight restriction does not apply to a commercial vehicle picking up or delivering goods for a building on the restricted street where the delivery serves an actual and bona fide repair, alteration, remodeling or construction project for which a building permit was already obtained. 4). absent a Harbormaster's special permit (§ 20-86).
Violations & Fines
Violating a posted overnight parking restriction, or parking in an exempt residential zone without displaying the required permit, is an infraction under § 1-1.06(b), the same category covering all Monterey parking violations, with fines up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second violation of the same section within a year, and $500 for a third or subsequent violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave my car on a Monterey street overnight?
How do residents get exempted from Monterey's overnight parking ban?
Are Fairground Road and Sand Dunes Drive treated differently for overnight parking?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monterey
How Monterey compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Monterey to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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Overnight Parking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Monterey County handle overnight parking.