Tustin, CA Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Parkway parking
- Banned outright, Section 5330(b)
- One-way wrong-side parking
- Banned unless signed, Section 5331(h)
- Left-curb one-way parking
- Only within 18 inches, facing traffic
- Max time in one spot
- 72 consecutive hours
- 72-hour tow authority
- Cal. Vehicle Code § 22650 procedures
Summary
Tustin's baseline on-street parking rule bans parking in the planted parkway strip outright: Section 5330(b) says no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle within any parkway. Section 5331(h) then sets the wrong-way rule for one-way streets, letting a car sit within 18 inches of the left curb only when it faces the direction of traffic, and barring left-side parking on divided one-way roadways unless a sign says otherwise.
No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle within any parkway. ... (1)Subject to other and more restrictive limitations, a vehicle may be stopped or parked within 18 inches of the left-hand curb facing in the direction of traffic movement upon any one-way street unless signs are in place prohibiting such stopping or standing.(2)In the event a highway includes two or more separate roadways and traffic is restricted to one direction upon any such roadway, no person shall stand or park a vehicle upon the left-hand side of such one-way roadway unless signs are in place permitting such standing or parking.
Full Breakdown
In the City of Tustin, everyday street parking is governed by Chapter 3, Part 3 of the Municipal Code. Section 5330(a) states plainly that Tustin's own time-limit rules never excuse a driver from the state Vehicle Code's stricter parking prohibitions, so local and state rules stack rather than substitute for each other. Section 5330(b) bans parking within any parkway, the landscaped strip between the curb and the sidewalk, and Section 5330(c) lets the City Traffic Engineer post or paint no-parking and restricted zones that become enforceable the moment the signs or curb paint are in place.
Section 5330(e) separately caps how long any vehicle may sit in one spot: 72 consecutive hours on a public street or dedicated alley, measured so that moving the car within two-tenths of a mile within that window still counts as the same location. Section 5331(h) covers the classic wrong-way violation: a car may park within 18 inches of the left curb on a one-way street only while facing the direction traffic moves, and on a divided one-way roadway a driver may not use the left-hand side at all unless a sign specifically permits it, with the City Traffic Engineer deciding where those signs go.
A narrow carve-out lets a commercial vehicle back up to the curb for loading if it does not cross the street's center line or block traffic. Tustin Police Department officers enforce these sections, and a car left in violation of the 72-hour rule can be towed under California Vehicle Code Section 22650 procedures referenced directly in Section 5330(e).
Violations & Fines
Standard parking violations under Sections 5330 and 5331 are infractions carrying up to a $100 fine for a first offense under the City's general penalty schedule in Section 1121, up to $200 for a second within a year, and misdemeanor treatment, up to $1,000 and six months in jail, for a third or later violation in that year; vehicles left beyond 72 hours can be towed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park in the strip of grass between the curb and sidewalk in Tustin?
Can I park facing the wrong way on a one-way Tustin street?
How long can I leave my car parked on a Tustin street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tustin
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How other cities in Orange County handle street parking limits.