Placer County, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)

Placer County addresses overnight parking through both its parking code and a dedicated overnight-parking ordinance. In North Lake Tahoe, most county public parking lots are free and open from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., but overnight parking between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. is prohibited, and vehicles can be cited and towed for a violation of Placer County Code Section 10.12.120. Separately, the county adopted an overnight-parking ordinance on January 28, 2021, that prohibits parking between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless a permit has been granted at roughly a dozen county locations, including the Placer County Administrative Center and Government Center in Auburn, the Tahoe Administrative Center in Tahoe City, and various parks and trailheads in Roseville, Rocklin, Penryn, and Colfax. Under that program, vehicles parked overnight receive a warning before being towed. These overnight restrictions are aimed at preventing illegal camping in lots and keeping trailhead lots clear, and they are distinct from the Tahoe winter (snow-area) on-road parking ban that runs November 1 to May 1. There is no general on-street overnight parking ban across the unincorporated county; the overnight rules apply to the specified public lots and signed areas.