Pismo Beach, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)

Pismo Beach regulates overnight and long-term parking in two separate places in Chapter 10.08.

The first is the city parking lot curfew in Section 10.08.040(B). Notwithstanding any other provision of the chapter, no person can stop, stand, park or leave standing any vehicle in any city parking lot between 11:00 p.m. of one day and 4:00 a.m. the following day. The exceptions are a permit issued by the city manager or his or her designee, or an authorization by written agreement with the city.

The second is the seventy-two hour rule in Section 10.08.070. Citing California Vehicle Code Section 22651(k), it provides that no vehicle can be parked or left standing upon any highway within the city for seventy-two or more consecutive hours. The city defines "highway" broadly to mean a publicly maintained way open to public vehicular travel, including a street, city parking lot, alley or other public area, whether improved or unimproved.

Moving the vehicle a few feet does not reset the clock. A vehicle counts as parked or left standing if it has not been moved at least one hundred feet away, and does not remain at least one hundred feet away, from its position at the start of the seventy-two hour period. It also counts if the odometer shows a change of less than one-tenth of one mile. A vehicle can be found in violation whether it is occupied or not.

The rule depends on signs. Section 10.08.090 says Section 10.08.070 is not effective until signs or markings giving adequate notice of the prohibition have been placed within the city as prescribed by law. Under Section 10.08.100(A), a police officer of the city police department can remove a vehicle left seventy-two or more consecutive hours, and Section 10.08.110 requires storage under Vehicle Code Section 22850 et seq. Chapter 10.08 prints no hour-of-night ban on ordinary street parking; the council can add time limits by resolution under Section 10.08.040(A), enforced once the street is signposted.