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

26 lets the Sunnyvale city council designate a 'residential preferential parking zone' on any qualifying residential street or alley segment at least 150 feet long. 010 defines a 'residential street or alley' as one at least 600 feet long, or running between two intersecting streets, where at least 75 percent of the frontage on both sides sits in a residential or public facilities zone and at least half of the parcels fronting it are residentially developed. 030 requires council findings before creating a zone: that non-residential vehicles substantially interfere with resident parking, that the interference recurs at least three times a week under typical conditions, that it causes congestion, noise or other neighborhood disruption, that a genuine parking shortage exists, and that no feasible alternative solves it.

020 lets the ordinance or resolution set enforcement hours and days, limits like two-hour parking or no-reparking rules for non-permit holders, and the number of permits issued per parcel. 050 puts the department of public works in charge of issuing permits to residents who prove residence and vehicle registration in the zone, plus temporary 24-hour guest permits; annual permits run one calendar year or less. 060(b) and (c) separately make it unlawful to sell, rent or lease a preferential parking permit, or to buy one, voiding every permit tied to that dwelling unit upon conviction. The chapter's definitions section was most recently amended by Ordinance 3252-26 on April 21, 2026.