1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: August 12, 2025
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Patrick Prescott, Community Development Director VIA: David Kriske, Assistant Community Development Director, Transportation Marcos Fuentes, Senior Transportation Planner
BY: Kyle Kramer, Associate Transportation Planner
SUBJECT: Introduction of an Ordinance Amending Title 6, Chapter 1 of the Burbank Municipal Code to Clarify the City’s Parking Restrictions Near Intersections
RECOMMENDATION
Introduce AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURBANK AMENDING TITLE 6 (MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC), CHAPTER 1 (VEHICLES
AND TRAFFIC) OF THE BURBANK MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO PARKING NEAR INTERSECTIONS.
BACKGROUND
A recent national rise in traffic fatalities has led local and state jurisdictions to explore policy changes that can improve pedestrian and roadway safety at street intersections .
One intervention attracting increased interest is known as “daylighting,” in which jurisdictions prohibit parking at the corners of intersections to improve visibility . This strategy allows drivers and pedestrians to see each other more easily by removing the obstacle of parked cars and extending both parties’ sightlines . As a result, drivers have more time to react if a pedestrian steps into the street, and pedestrians have a better sense of when it is safe to cross the street.
In its guidance on improving visibility and sight distance at intersections, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) recommends cities “daylight intersections by removing parking within 20 –25 feet of the intersection .” 1 The Federal
1 https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/intersection-design-elements/visibility-sight-distance/
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
2 Highway Administration (FHWA) similarly notes that “ sight distance problems at intersections usually result in a higher crash rate.” 2 States such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania have long formalized these standards in their vehicle codes . Taking these insights into a real-world California context, a pilot program introducing daylighting in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district led to a 14% reduction in collisions.3
Informed by the success of programs like San Francisco’s and guided by the principle of improving pedestrian and cyclist safety, the California State Legislature adopted a bill in 2023, Assembly Bill ( AB) 413, amending California Vehicle Code (CVC) § 22500 to prohibit parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, or within 15 feet of a crosswalk with curb extensions, regardless of whether the location is marked red or signed to prohibit parking.
Beginning January 1, 2025, violations of these parking restrictions became subject to citation statewide. However, AB 413 also allows local authorities to establish different parking restrictions near crosswalks if adopted by ordinance and justified by established safety standards.
Since 1979, Burbank has had its own form of a daylighting ordinance. The Burbank Municipal Code (BMC) § 6-1-1029 prohibits stopping or parking in places marked accordingly (i.e. with red-painted curb), including “within fifteen (15) feet of an intersection or curb return” and “within twenty-five (25) feet of the approach to any traffic signal, stop sign, or official electric flashing device.”
With the implementation of AB 413, drivers parking in Burbank are now subject to two overlapping daylighting laws that creates motorist and enforcement uncertainty .
Implementation of AB 413 creates a need to align state and local daylighting laws to clarify parking rules near intersections and improve safety.
DISCUSSION
Following the adoption of AB 413, City staff across multiple departments ( City Attorney, Community Development, Police, and Public Works) analyzed the changes to the CVC to understand compatibility with the City’s existing daylighting standard under the BMC.
City staff determined that at intersections with red- painted curbs, the existing provisions of the BMC already offer safety benefits equal to or greater than those introduced by AB 413. However, at intersections with no red curb markings , AB 413 imposes a new daylighting parking restriction that applies at non- painted locations. This report recommends amendments to the BMC to align state and local daylighting laws to establish a more consistent and comprehensive daylighting strategy for the City of Burbank.
2 https://highways.dot.gov/safety/other/older-road-user/handbook-designing-roadways-aging-population/chapter-7-intersections 3 https://www.sfmta.com/media/14930/download?inline
3 Differences Between BMC and AB 413
The BMC and AB 413 standards for daylighting achieve similar effects by prohibiting parking near pedestrian crossings . However, these two codes rely on slightly different terminology, distances, and conditions for applicability, creating potential confusion around enforcement in Burbank.
First, the AB 413 daylighting rules refer to parking near crosswalks and apply even if the curb is not painted red. Specifically, AB 413 prohibits parking directly in front of a crosswalk, otherwise called the “approach” to the crosswalk. The BMC daylighting rules refer to parking near intersections but only applies if the curb is painted red. Specifically, the BMC prohibits parking on all legs of an intersection, including in front of and behind all intersection crosswalks. Second, AB 413 prohibits parking within a distance of 20 feet from the approach to a crosswalk , while the BMC prohibits parking within a distance of 25 feet of an intersection controlled by a stop sign or traffic signal , and a distance of 15 feet from all other intersections. Third, AB 413 measures distance from the crosswalk4, while the BMC measures distance from an “intersection or curb return” or from a “traffic control device” depending on the location. A table summarizing these differences, along with corresponding illustrations, is included (Attachment 2) . In addition to these differences, terms in the BMC and AB 413 have different legal definitions, resulting in variations in the length of roadway where parking is prohibited.
At intersections that are marked with red curb according to the BMC standard—including most arterial corridors and signalized intersections —the BMC daylighting rules provide better visibility to pedestrians than AB 413 because more parking is restricted around intersections under the BMC . However, AB 413 provides better pedestrian visibility at intersections with no red curb, including many lower-volume intersections that were not painted under the BMC and therefore had no parking restrictions at all. AB 413 now imposes a parking restriction on the right -hand side of the street in front of every crosswalk with no red curb present.
Implementation Options
The most effective approach for the City to reconcile differences between the existing BMC and AB 413 is to enforce both standards concurrently. This strategy preserves the City’s more comprehensive restrictions at intersections painted with red curb, while incorporating the new AB 413 requirements at crosswalks in smaller intersections without red curb.
Under this approach, drivers need to be mindful of two rules when parking near intersections: 1) do not park at a red curb, and 2) do not park closer than one car length
4 State law defines two types of crosswalks. A marked crosswalk is marked with striping across the street where pedestrians cross, and an unmarked crosswalk is the imaginary extension of a sidewalk that intersects a perpendicular street where pedestrians cross without striping.
4 (about 20 feet) in front of a marked or unmarked crosswalk, even if the curb isn’t painted red. Over time, the City could install additional red curb where necessary to clarify or reinforce AB 413 restrictions at problematic locations , such as small intersections in residential areas where frequent parking violations occur.
Enforcement under this approach is straightforward and would include a BMC citation if red curb is present or a CVC regulation (AB 413) citation if red curb is absent. This approach provides a customer -oriented strategy as enforcement staff (which includes both Police and third-party enforcement contracted through LAZ) will have flexibility and discretion to issue citations as the public becomes more aware of the new regulation. This approach also offers a balanced and cost -effective solution that maximizes intersection visibility, minimizes the need for widespread curb repainting, maintains stronger daylighting protections at high- volume intersections , and gives clear guidance for the City’s parking enforcement staff.
Alternatives to this approach present more significant trade-offs. The City could reinforce the AB 413 parking restriction at unmarked locations by systematically paint ing these curbs red. This alternative would reduce ambiguity for drivers and enforcement staf f but would require significant resources to install and maintain red curb markings at hundreds of additional intersections . The City could also elect to eliminat e its existing daylighting rules and rely solely on AB 413 . However, this alternative would result in a significant weakening of intersection visibility by removing most of the existing red curb around signalized and stop- controlled intersections and shortening the prohibited parking distances from 25 to 20 feet.
By maintaining the City’s BMC daylighting rules while integrating AB 413 where appropriate, the City can ensure strong, adaptable intersection visibility standards without the high cost or safety trade-offs of the alternatives.
Changes to the BMC
With the implementation of AB 413 and to reduce confusion and ensure enforceability of the BMC daylighting laws , staff recommends the City Council (Council) adopt an Ordinance to make changes to the BMC (Attachment 1) . The Ordinance addresses new legal requirements of AB 413 while providing findings and clarifications that maintain and simplify the language of the existing BMC. These changes are as follows:
1. Re-establish Burbank’s local daylighting standards and adopt a finding that these distances are justified by traffic safety standards, as now required by AB 413.
2. Revise definitions to standardize how parking restrictions are measured. The Ordinance clarifies that Burbank’s local standards are measured from the “ curb return” of an intersection and provides a clear definition of a curb return. The 5 Ordinance also confirms instances where the local parking restriction is measured from a traffic control device or stop sign. This will assist City staff in consistently painting and maintaining red curb from a standard starting point. Drivers do not need to memorize these local definitions; they simply need to look for red curb.
3. Affirmatively state that Burbank’s local daylighting laws are distinct from the daylighting laws under the CVC and will be enforced where indicated throughout the City by red curb or other no- parking signage. This allows the City to continue applying broader daylighting restrictions at intersections where higher visibility may be necessary by marking the parking restriction with red curb, while continuing to enforce the state daylighting provisions under AB 413 at other locations where no red curb exists.
Transportation Commission Feedback
On July 26, 2025, staff presented this item to the Transportation Commission who voted unanimously to support the recommendation to Council. In their deliberation, the Commissioners underscored the importance of developing educational materials to clarify the changes in the law to the public and asked if enforcement personnel would have the discretion to issue warnings for first time violations, especially since AB 413 will be enforced at curbs that are not painted and those are mostly found in residential areas.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
The proposed Ordinance resolves several issues related to the applicability of the BMC , but for drivers, these changes will not be noticed because the BMC only applies when the curb is painted red. AB 413, however, introduces a new rule that applies citywide at intersections that have not been marked with red curb. As this is a statewide rule, drivers can expect to encounter this standard throughout the state of California. Staff will take steps to help familiarize residents with the new parking law under AB 413 by adding an informational page to the City’s website and by creating social media videos or graphics explaining the new law. Police will also incorporate messaging about AB 413 into ongoing community engagement programs. Since most curb violation enforcement in areas without marked red curb is complaint-based, enforcement staff may seek to contact and educate first-time offenders or issue warnings before issuing citations. In locations with repeated issues, additional red curb will be considered ( in alignment with the BMC ) to reduce ambiguity. Educational messaging and approach will be refined and adjusted as the community becomes more familiar with the new law.
In general, motorists should continue to expect to be ticketed for parking violations in red curb areas. At intersections without marked red curb, motorists should be expected not to park less than 20 feet (e.g. less than one car length) in front of a crosswalk. Most crosswalks are at intersections, and so this means keeping about one car length away 6 from the front of an intersection stop bar, crosswalk marking, or the path of any intersecting sidewalk extending across the street.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Adoption of this Ordinance has no potential for resulting in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change to the environment and as such, falls outside the definition of a “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and i s therefore not subject to CEQA pursuant to §§ 15378 and 15060(c)(2)-(3) of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations (CEQA Guidelines) because the Ordinance maintains existing parking restrictions in place as they currently exist.
Furthermore, even if this action constitutes a “project” subject to CEQA review, it is exempt from environmental review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines § 15301, as any decision to restrict on- street parking near intersections constitutes operation and minor alteration of existing street facilities involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use and does not create additional automobile lanes . No unusual circumstances preclude the use of this exemption.
FISCAL IMPACT
Adopting the proposed Ordinance and staff’s recommended implementation approach will not create a new fiscal impact to the City . The Ordinance does not require changes to the City’s infrastructure, and enforcement of daylighting would be carried out using existing staffing in the same manner as other parking violations.
CONCLUSION
City staff recommend that Council introduce and adopt the proposed Ordinance, which makes clarifying changes to BMC § 6-1-1029, ensuring compliance with recent updates to the CVC under AB 413. The intent of the Ordinance is to preserve Burbank’s existing red curb standards, which provide a stronger daylighting benefit than that required by state law, in addition to enforcing the new parking restrictions under AB 413. These changes to the BMC support Council’s priorities of preserving quality of life and enhancing public safety by retaining the existing character of Burbank’s streets.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Ordinance
Attachment 2 – Differences Between BMC and AB 413