PISMO BEACH CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item #12.B
Meeting Date: December 2, 2025
TITLE:
Price Street Overnight Parking Policy Discussion
RECOMMENDATION:
No action recommended; for information only.
DISCUSSION:
On October 21, 2025, the City Council requested that staff return with an agenda item for discussion and overview of existing Pismo Beach Municipal Code (PBMC) provisions related to overnight parking restrictions and prohibitions on Price Street. To facilitate the City Council’s discussion, staff put together the relevant Municipal Code sections, provided examples of other California cities that have implemented overnight parking restrictions in coastal communities, and other considerations relating to implementation of overnight parking restrictions.
Summary of Pismo Beach Municipal Code Provisions
The Pismo Beach Municipal Code currently does not have a general overnight parking prohibition for standard vehicles on public streets. Parking in City-owned lots, and oversize vehicle parking within business districts during nighttime hours, are regulated.
The City’s parking regulations are established primarily in PBMC Chapter 10.08 to regulate and enforce parking controls in key areas, manage overnight activity, and protect the community’s quality of life. Below are the most relevant code sections:
Section 10.08.040 authorizes the City to limit or restrict the stopping, standing, or parking of vehicles on any City street, parking lot, or public area, provided that such areas are properly marked or signposted. It further prohibits parking in City parking lots between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. unless authorized by permit or written agreement.
Section 10.08.070 prohibits vehicles from remaining parked in any one location for more than seventy-two consecutive hours. This section is intended to prevent vehicle storage on public streets or in parking lots and defines a violation as failure to move a vehicle at least one hundred feet during the seventy-two-hour period. Section 10.08.140 restricts parking for oversize vehicles and trailers within business districts between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. and extends this prohibition to the area southwest of U.S. Highway 101 between Dolliver and Price Streets and Addie Street. Oversize vehicles are defined as those exceeding twenty-three feet in length or eighty-four inches in height.
Section 12.20.220 prohibits any vehicle from being parked or left in the pier parking lot, plaza area, or pier itself between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. except for through traffic.
Council Agenda 12-2-2025 12.B-1
Section 12.28.020 makes it unlawful for any person to camp overnight or occupy a recreational vehicle in public streets, parking lots, or public areas without a permit. This section complements the City’s parking restrictions by addressing overnight vehicle habitation in public spaces.
Examples from Other California Cities
Several California cities with coastal or mixed-use characteristics have adopted policies restricting overnight parking on public streets to discourage long-term vehicle storage, improve public safety, and maintain parking availability.
The City of Malibu restricts overnight parking along designated portions of Pacific Coast Highway during specific nighttime hours to limit vehicle dwelling and manage visitor activity. Parking limitations are typically between the hours of 12 a.m. and 2 a.m., or 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Malibu also maintains a resident parking permit program in various areas of the city where parking is constrained due to visitor use.
The City of Santa Barbara maintains five parking structures and multiple public surface parking lots. The surface lots in the downtown area are open 24 hours with a maximum stay of 72 hours. A majority of the waterfront parking lots close between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. with the exception of the Harbor Main lot and the Launch Ramp parking lot, which both limit stays to three 24-hour periods. Santa Barbara does have parking permit program for both the downtown and waterfront areas as well as a residential parking permit program for their mixed use areas.
The City of Santa Cruz maintains four parking structures and approximately 30 surface parking lots throughout the city, and has a 72-hour on-street parking limitation. On-street metered parking operates from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the downtown and beach areas. The City does offer limited free parking in some of its lots for 2 to 3 hours Monday through Saturday. Parking on Sunday is free. Santa Cruz also offers a residential parking permit program for residents and a commuter parking program for those commuting into the downtown. The Santa Cruz Harbor and Wharf areas have separate paid parking programs that accommodate visitors, boat owners, and slip lease holders. Hours for general visitor parking are limited to between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 a.m. The harbor does have a program for overnight parking in certain areas.
Other Considerations
Implementing overnight parking restrictions on downtown streets may create additional challenges that require further consideration. Implementation of overnight restricted parking hours could pressure some people who have been drinking to drive, rather than risk a ticket or having their car towed. Other challenges include ongoing changes in state law which will likely preempt the City’s parking requirements, requiring them instead to meet only the less stringent state standards. Some of those laws will significantly hamper or eliminate the City’s ability to constrain parking availability.
Additionally, the Coastal Commission views parking regulation within the Coastal Zone as a coastal access issue subject to compliance with the California Coastal Act and the Council Agenda 12-2-2025 12.B-2
City’s adopted Local Coastal Program (LCP). Therefore, any changes to the City’s downtown parking policies could be subject to Coastal Commission review and approval.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council receive this report on overnight parking regulations and ask staff for more information if desired.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this information-only report.
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Prepared by:
Chris Trimble, Police Commander
Submitted by:
Scot Graham, Community Development Director
Jeff Smith, Chief of Police
City Manager Approval:
Council Agenda 12-2-2025 12.B-3