Santa Barbara, CA Parking Rules: Oversized Vehicle Parking (2026)

The City of Santa Barbara enacted its own oversized-vehicle street-parking restriction under SBMC 10.44.220(B) to protect public safety on the City's narrow, historic streets. An oversized vehicle is defined as any vehicle or combination of vehicles (such as a vehicle and trailer) that exceeds 25 feet in length, 80 inches in width, or 82 inches in height; measurements include the body, bumpers, and tires but exclude projecting lights, racks, mirrors, and hitches. A pickup truck (as defined by the CVC, with gross vehicle weight rating under 11,500 lbs, unladen weight under 8,001 lbs, and an open box bed not exceeding 9 feet) may exceed the 80-inch width if it meets the length and height limits, but a utility-body pickup is not exempt. All oversized vehicles are prohibited from the public right-of-way except for listed exemptions, including: commercial vehicles actively delivering to an adjacent property for up to 30 minutes; government-agency or public-utility vehicles between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.; inoperable vehicles making emergency repairs for up to four hours; buses for up to two hours; and vehicles displaying a valid Temporary, Contractor, or Disability Oversized Vehicle Parking Permit issued by Downtown Parking. A Contractor permit is valid only from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at work locations, with overnight parking allowed in emergencies only. Even permitted oversized vehicles must obey all other on-street restrictions (street sweeping, permit areas, time zones, color curbs, bike lanes, and the 72-hour limit), and a permitted vehicle that creates a dangerous traffic-safety condition voids its permit and can be cited.