San Marcos, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)

Unlike the City of San Diego, the unincorporated County does not prohibit overnight street parking outright. A vehicle may legally remain on an unincorporated County street overnight; the controlling limit is County Code Sec. 72.122, which prohibits parking any vehicle on a street or alley for more than 72 consecutive hours, treating it as stored unless moved at least 0.5 mile. So overnight parking is fine unless it stretches past that 72-hour window or violates a posted restriction or the Vehicle Code. The County's separate oversized-vehicle approach also relies on this 72-hour rule rather than a nightly ban. Different rules apply on County property: under County Code Sec. 73.101 the Board of Supervisors permits parking on County land subject to Vehicle Code Sec. 21113 and Board resolutions, and Sec. 73.107 provides that no person may park or leave a vehicle on any County property except in areas marked for parking and in designated spaces, and not in driveways, entrances, exits, or aisles. County parks and facilities therefore enforce their own posted operating hours, and overnight stays in those lots are only allowed where expressly permitted.