SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — You’re driving down a road in the City of San Diego, you see an open spot to pull in, but the curb is white. Can you park there?
Blue, yellow, white, red, green — these are the different curb colors you’ll come across along San Diego roads, but do you know what they all mean?
The curb color that most people probably know without having to look it up — red. Red, as expected, means don’t park there. But is there more? If fact, there is.
Red
Red curbs are no parking zones, which means no stopping, standing or parking at any time.
A property owner can also put in a request for a red curb in front of their home as a residential driveway clearance zone, allowing space for the property owner or tenant to access the driveway safely with enough space.
No portion of the vehicle, including the bumper, can cover a red curb, and there is no parking anytime in these zones.
White
A white curb means the area is a loading zone, where you can park for a short time while unloading things like passengers, mail or luggage. Loading zones are short term, and have a cap of around 3 minutes, except at hotels which allow people to park for around 10 minutes.
There is no long term parking anytime in these zones.
Blue
Blue curbs are reserved for people with disabilities with a disabled person parking placard or plate issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. No one else can park at blue curbs.
Yellow
Yellow curbs are similar to the white curbs as they are also loading zones, but they differ as commercial loading zones.
Only trucks and commercial vehicles are permitted to stop in these zones to load or unload materials, goods and merchandise. They are in operation between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. except Sundays and holidays (unless otherwise posted), meaning you can park there outside of those hours.
Green
A green curb is a short term parking zone, giving drivers around 15 to 20 minutes of parking. They are in place in busy areas and are designed to allow parking turnover. They are in operation between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday (unless otherwise posted), so you can still park there after those hours.
In the City of San Diego, all vehicles must park within 18 inches of the curb. Vehicles cannot be parked or stored on a public street for more than 72 hours without being moved at least one tenth of a mile.
City maintenance crews are required to do all of the curb painting. To request re-painting of a faded curb, submit a Street Division Service Request. To request new curb painting, contact Traffic Engineering at 619-533-3126 or complete and submit the Traffic Request for Service Form.
To report illegal parking in your neighborhood, call 619-531-2000. Read more about parking enforcement and rules on the City of San Diego’s website.