Sonora, CA Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)

Tuolumne County Ordinance Code Section 10.28 ('Snow Removal') prohibits parking on the pavement or road shoulder during snow-removal operations. The county's official Snow Removal Policy states that for purposes of snow storage 'the shoulder is ten feet from the edge of pavement,' and that snow removal is complete only when all snow has been crowded off the pavement onto the shoulder. The policy's warning is explicit: 'VEHICLES LEFT PARKED ON THE PAVEMENT OR SHOULDER WILL BE TOWED AND STORED AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE,' and 'Parking restrictions in the county right-of-way during snow removal season are strictly enforced; your car will be towed.' Signs noting the policy are posted on roadways near subdivision entrances/exits and on major and minor collectors. Other items left in the right-of-way - boat trailers, wood splitters, basketball hoops, garbage cans - can prevent a road from being plowed and may earn a neon-pink warning card. Under the penalty schedule in Section 10.24.080, a snow-removal-area violation (Section 10.28.010) carries a $50 penalty for a first violation and $100 for a second within one year. The county aims to keep paved county roads below 5,000-foot elevation open; snowplowing typically affects areas such as Twain Harte/Cedar Ridge (above ~3,000 ft), Mi-Wuk (above ~4,000 ft), and Pinecrest (above ~5,000 ft). Caltrans, not the county, plows State Routes 108, 120, and 49.