National City, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Time limit
- Seventy-two consecutive hours on any street or alley
- Re-parking
- Unlawful within the same block face after the limit expires
- Removal authority
- Police department under Vehicle Code 22852 and 22853
- Fine payment
- Within twenty-one days of the citation
- Late penalty
- Original penalty doubled after twenty-one days
- Street sweeping
- Separate posted-day rule under § 11.32.400
Summary
In National City, no person who owns or controls a vehicle can park it on any street or alley for more than seventy-two consecutive hours. Re-parking the vehicle within the same block face after that time expires is also unlawful, and the police department can remove a vehicle left longer under Vehicle Code sections 22852 and 22853. Section 11.32.060 is a time limit, not a nightly ban, and posted restrictions still apply.
A.No person who owns or has possession, custody, or control of any vehicle shall park such vehicle upon any street or alley for more than seventy-two consecutive hours.B.It is unlawful for any person to re-park a vehicle under their control or in their custody within the same block face after the expiration of seventy-two consecutive hours.C.In the event a vehicle is parked or left standing upon a street for more than seventy-two consecutive hours, any member of the police department authorized by the Chief of Police may remove such vehicle from the street in the manner and subject to the requirements of Sections 22852 and 22853 or other applicable sections of the CVC.
Full Breakdown
Section 11.32.060, Vehicle storage on streets, is the citywide time limit in Chapter 11.32 (Stopping, Standing and Parking). The City Council adopted it as part of a new Title 11 by Ordinance No. 2023-2520 on April 18, 2023, which repealed the former Title 11. The purpose of Title 11, stated in § 11.01.010, is to supplement the California Vehicle Code with local rules for traffic, parking and enforcement.
Subsection (A) prohibits anyone who owns or has possession, custody or control of a vehicle from parking it upon any street or alley for more than seventy-two consecutive hours. Subsection (B) closes the obvious workaround: it is unlawful to re-park a vehicle under your control or in your custody within the same block face after the seventy-two consecutive hours expire. Because the rule counts consecutive hours rather than nights, overnight parking is not itself a violation of this section; the limit is reached only when the vehicle has stayed more than seventy-two consecutive hours. Under subsection (C), any member of the police department authorized by the Chief of Police can remove such a vehicle from the street in the manner and subject to the requirements of Vehicle Code sections 22852 and 22853 or other applicable CVC sections.
Other Chapter 11.32 rules can restrict overnight parking on particular streets. Section 11.32.070 lets police remove a vehicle parked during restricted hours on a street where the City Council has prohibited parking by resolution and signs give notice. Section 11.32.300 bars parking at any time on streets the council designates by resolution once signs are erected. Section 11.32.400 prohibits parking on the days and between the hours the council designates for street cleaning, with signs posted, and a vehicle can be towed after a citation if a sign authorizes removal. Section 11.32.050 bars stopping, standing or parking within any parkway, and § 11.32.080 bars greasing or repairing a vehicle on any public street or public property except for emergency repairs.
Violations & Fines
Under § 11.32.410, the registered owner, lessee or renter of a vehicle cited under Chapter 11.32 must pay the fine within twenty-one days of the citation date, and failing to do so doubles the penalty. Parking penalty amounts are set consistent with the then current recommendations of the San Diego County parking penalty committee on file with the city clerk. Unpaid penalties are itemized and filed with the Department of Motor Vehicles for collection with the vehicle's registration under CVC Section 4760.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park overnight on a National City street?
Can I move my car a few spaces to restart the seventy-two hours?
Who can have a car towed for sitting more than seventy-two hours?
How long do I have to pay a National City parking ticket?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in National City
How National City compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare National City to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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Overnight Parking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Diego County handle overnight parking.