Santa Ana, CA Parking Rules: Preferential Parking Districts (2026)

The public works director administers the program under Sections 36-480 through 36-493. A permit parking district is established only by city council resolution, which fixes the district's boundaries and the maximum parking limitation that applies inside it (§ 36-481). Restrictions do not reach a particular block automatically: under § 36-482, the director must first receive and verify a petition signed by owners of at least 66 percent of the residential lots abutting that block, checked against the latest county tax assessment roll. Only after that verification does the director post the district's restriction signs (§ 36-484).

Unless a district's resolution says otherwise, any licensed resident or eligible nonresidential user may apply to the director for a permit, and no more than three resident permits (not counting guest passes) go to a single dwelling unit (§ 36-486). An applicant denied a permit may appeal the director's decision to the city manager, whose ruling is final. Residents also receive guest parking permit forms; a completed guest pass, dated and naming the visiting vehicle, is valid only until noon the following day (§ 36-487).

Resident permits must be permanently affixed to the left rear bumper or window; guest permits are displayed face-up on the left front dashboard (§ 36-488). Repair, utility, refuse, government, and emergency vehicles working in the district are exempt (§ 36-489), and the council may set permit fees by resolution (§ 36-491).