County Code No-Parking Ordinance to be Amended

UPDATE 1/14/25: The Board approved the ordinance amendments.

For Immediate Release –

Marin County, CA –

A proposed revision would allow for more flexibility in ‘no parking zone’ times

In coordination with the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, the Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) is recommending clarified language in the Marin County Code (MCC) Chapter 15.36 that relates to parking restrictions. The Board of Supervisors (BOS) will consider two proposed amended ordinances in that chapter during its public session on January 14.

MCC Chapter 15.36 provides for certain parking restrictions to be implemented within unincorporated areas of the county and the ability to enforce those restrictions. The two ordinances that have proposed clarifications are MCC 15.36.060, which relates to “no parking of any vehicles at any time,” and MCC 15.36.070, which addresses “no overnight parking of any vehicles.”

As currently written, the MCC does not include provisions for establishing and enforcing general time-restricted parking, such as daytime restrictions near schools during drop-off and pick-up hours. The MCC 15.36.070 overnight parking restrictions are specific to the hours of 11 PM to 5 AM only. That timeframe limitation does not necessarily match the overnight parking restrictions of some partner agencies, such as California State Parks, that operate facilities immediately adjacent to County roadways. DPW recommends amending MCC 15.36.060 and 15.36.070 to allow the County more flexibility in establishing “no parking” restrictions to better meet the needs of the community and partner agencies.

The proposed ordinance intends to amend MCC 15.36.060, enabling the county to cite all “no parking” zones equally, specifically allowing the use of signage, curb markings, or pavement markings to inform the public of the parking restrictions. The proposed ordinance also seeks to amend MCC 15.36.070, enabling “no parking” restrictions to be implemented for any specified time of day as indicated on posted signs.

The proposed amendments allow for flexibility in designing future implementation of restrictions that meet the unique needs of specific locations. Any new parking restrictions would still be required to be adopted by the BOS through resolutions specifying the county road, location, and time restrictions. Parking restrictions, once approved, would not be enforced until adequate signage, curb markings, or pavement markings have been installed to inform the public of the restrictions.