Santa Clara County, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)

Santa Clara County does not impose a countywide overnight parking prohibition on unincorporated roads. Instead, overnight parking is allowed unless a specific posted restriction, painted curb, or Residential Permit Parking designation applies. The principal general limit is the 72-hour rule in Title B, Division B12, Chapter III ('Stopping, Standing and Parking'): a person may not leave a vehicle standing on any highway in unincorporated territory for 72 or more consecutive hours, after which the California Highway Patrol or a Sheriff's deputy may remove it under the Vehicle Code. This means overnight parking is generally fine, but a vehicle that never moves over multiple days becomes subject to removal. Some unincorporated roads fall within the County's Residential Permit Parking program (administered by the Roads and Airports Department), where overnight or other parking may be limited unless a valid permit is displayed; up to two permits are issued per eligible address. Living overnight in a vehicle, RV, or camper on a public road or on private residential property raises separate Zoning Ordinance and habitability concerns enforced by County Planning. Because the County contracts Sheriff patrol for unincorporated areas and the towns of Cupertino, Los Altos Hills, and Saratoga, abandoned or long-parked vehicles can be reported to the Sheriff at (408) 299-2311.