Berkeley, CA Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- General time cap
- 72 consecutive hours on any street
- Posted time limits
- 24 minutes up to two hours
- Repeat-hour billing
- Each hour after first citation is separate
- Heavy vehicle curfew
- 1 hour max, 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.
- No street repairs
- Washing, greasing, repairing vehicles banned
Summary
Berkeley bars parking or standing on any street in hazard zones, red-curb areas, divisional islands or Council-designated no-parking zones under Section 14.36.030, and separately caps how long a vehicle may sit at the curb: seventy-two consecutive hours under Section 14.36.050, or as little as 24 minutes where signs or meters say so.
It is unlawful for the operator of any vehicle to stop, stand, park, or leave standing such vehicle in any of the following places, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the direction of a police officer or other authorized officer, or traffic sign or signal: ... C. In any area where the City Traffic Engineer determines that the parking or stopping of a vehicle would constitute a traffic hazard or would endanger life or property, when such area is indicated by appropriate signs or by red paint upon the curb surface... It is unlawful for any person to park or leave standing, or cause to be parked or left standing any vehicle upon any public street in the City for seventy-two or more consecutive hours.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 8031-NS, passed July 28, 2026).
Full Breakdown
030 lists the places where stopping, standing or parking is unlawful across the city: within a divisional island unless signed for parking, on either side of a street between projected property lines of a public walkway marked by red curb paint, in any area the Traffic Engineer flags as a hazard, in a Council-designated no-parking area, along a railway track in a way that blocks a train, or on a street closed for cleaning, repair, construction or utility work with 24 hours' posted notice. 070 forbid repairing, greasing, washing or polishing a vehicle on a public street, with temporary emergency repairs excepted. 050 caps ordinary parking at seventy-two consecutive hours anywhere on a public street, regardless of posted signage. 040. 120.
Violations & Fines
Each of these parking sections is enforced as a separate infraction for every hour a vehicle remains in violation after the first citation is issued, so a car left in a no-parking zone or past a posted time limit can draw repeated citations rather than one flat fine. General Chapter 1.20 fines apply: up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second, and $500 for each further violation of the same section within a year, escalating to a misdemeanor on a fourth offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I leave my car parked on a Berkeley street?
Can I wash my car on the street in front of my house?
What counts as a no-parking zone under Berkeley's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley
California rules heatmap·Compare Berkeley to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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Street Parking Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle street parking limits.