Monterey, CA Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)

Section 20-67 lists the situations where a driver cannot stop, stand or park on a Monterey street: within a divisional island, across a public walkway or steps that terminate at the street, in any area the City Traffic Engineer determines to be a traffic hazard, in a Council-designated no-parking area, along a railway track in a way that would obstruct a rail car, on a street closed for cleaning, repair, construction or utility work with 24 hours' posted notice, within 20 feet of a mid-block safety zone or a business-district crosswalk (except a bus at a designated stop), within 20 feet of a traffic signal or boulevard stop sign, or in an area the Chief of Police reserves for police, sheriff or highway patrol use.

Most of these restrictions only take effect once the City has posted signs or painted the curb red, per § 20-67 and the companion curb-marking rule at § 20-66. Beyond location-based bans, § 20-72 makes it unlawful to use a street or alley to store a vehicle for more than a consecutive 72-hour period, and the Police Department may tow a vehicle left on a street or highway that long under § 20-27(a). Other Article 6 sections layer on additional street-parking limits: no standing on hills or grades exceeding 3% without curbing the wheels (§ 20-71), no parking on streets narrower than 20 feet or on the restricted side of streets up to 30 feet wide once the Traffic Engineer posts signs (§ 20-70), and no parking adjacent to a school where posted (§ 20-69). None of these Article 6 rules relieve a driver of complying with stricter California Vehicle Code parking provisions, per § 20-65(b).