La Mesa, CA Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)

Section 12.40.050 lists the places where an operator of any vehicle in the City of La Mesa may not stop, stand, park, or leave a vehicle standing, unless doing so is necessary to avoid a traffic conflict or comply with a police officer's direction or a traffic sign or signal. The list covers divisional islands without authorizing signs or markings; the gap between projected property lines of a public walk, steps, or thoroughfare when marked by signs or red curb paint; any spot the city traffic engineer determines is a hazard to life or property, once marked; areas set by council resolution as no-parking zones; along railway tracks in a way that would obstruct a train; streets closed for cleaning, repair, construction, or utility work, provided notice signs go up at least 24 hours ahead; within 20 feet of the curb opposite the mid-block end of a safety zone; within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection in the central traffic district or a business district, except that a bus may stop at a designated stop; and within 20 feet of the approach to a traffic signal, boulevard stop sign, or electronic flashing device.

Every restriction depends on the city traffic engineer or the city council first designating the zone and posting signs or curb paint; an unmarked location that would otherwise qualify is not automatically illegal to park in. The section dates to Ordinance 1379, Section 10.3, adopted August 27, 1963, and remains the city's baseline no-parking rule beneath the more specific measures in Chapters 12.42, 12.44, and 12.48.