Novato, CA Parking Rules: Preferential Parking Districts (2026)

Preferential parking in the City of Novato rests on Section 18-7.21 of the Novato Municipal Code, a two-paragraph provision inside Article 18-7 (Stopping, Standing and Parking) of Chapter XVIII. The structure has four parts.

First, the decision-maker: the city council, acting by resolution, designates certain streets or portions of streets. Second, the beneficiaries: preferential parking privileges go to residents and merchants adjacent to those streets. Third, the benefit: a resident or merchant can be issued a permit that exempts the holder from the prohibition or restriction of such parking restrictions as the city traffic engineer has established. Fourth, the issuing office: permits are issued by the police department, subject to rules and regulations adopted by resolution of the city council.

Section 18-7.21 itself prints no street list, permit fee, cap on permits per household or permit term. Those details sit in council resolutions rather than in the code section, so the current street list has to be confirmed from the resolutions the council has adopted.

Several neighboring sections explain how the restrictions behind a permit operate. Section 18-7.11 says that when authorized signs or curb markings giving notice of parking regulations are in place, no person can stop, park or leave standing a vehicle contrary to them. Section 18-7.1 adds that a time limit on parking does not relieve anyone of more restrictive Vehicle Code or city rules for specific places or times. Under § 18-7.16, the city traffic engineer can order signs on city property, including off-street facilities, prohibiting, limiting or restricting parking. The 72-consecutive-hour street limit in § 18-7.3 is written into the code itself rather than set by the traffic engineer.