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HomeVehicle CodeDiv. 11Ch. 9§ 22504 Highway Parking Restrictions

§ 22504 Highway Parking Restrictions

Vehicle Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 22504 Highway Parking Restrictions

This law says you can't park your car on the road if you can park it off the road instead. You must leave enough space for other cars to pass and make sure people can see your parked car from 200 feet away.

Key Takeaways

  • •Don't park on the road if you can park off the road.
  • •Always leave enough space for other cars to pass.
  • •Make sure your parked car can be seen from 200 feet away.
  • •If your car breaks down and you can't move it, this rule doesn't apply.
  • •School buses can't stop where kids have to cross a busy road unless there's a traffic officer or signal.

Example

You're driving on a country road with no curbs and want to stop to check your phone.

You can't just stop in the middle of the road. You have to pull over as far as you can to the side, making sure other cars can still drive past and that people can see your car from far away.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 22504 Highway Parking Restrictions

(a) Upon any highway in unincorporated areas, a person shall not stop, park, or leave standing any vehicle, whether attended or unattended, upon the roadway when it is practicable to stop, park, or leave the vehicle off such portion of the highway, but in every event an unobstructed width of the highway opposite a standing vehicle shall be left for the free passage of other vehicles and a clear view of the stopped vehicle shall be available from a distance of 200 feet in each direction upon the highway. This section shall not apply upon a highway where the roadway is bounded by adjacent curbs. (b) This section does not apply to the driver of any vehicle which is disabled in such a manner and to such extent that it is impossible to avoid stopping and temporarily leaving the disabled vehicle on the roadway. (c) (1) A schoolbus stop shall not be designated where there is not a clear view of a proposed or existing schoolbus stop from a distance of 200 feet in each direction along a highway, or upon the main traveled portion of a highway where there is not a clear view of the stop from 500 feet in each direction along the highway and the speed limit is more than 25 miles per hour, unless approved by the Department of the California Highway Patrol upon the request of the school district superintendent or the head or principal of a private school. If the schoolbus stop is approved by the Department of the California Highway Patrol, the Department of Transportation, in respect to state highways, and local authorities, in respect to highways under their jurisdiction, shall place sufficient signs along the highway to give adequate notice to motorists that they are approaching such bus stops. (2) A school bus stop shall not be designated on any divided or multiple-lane highway where pupils must cross the highway to board or after exiting the bus, unless traffic is controlled by a traffic officer or official traffic control signal. For purposes of this section, a multiple-lane highway is defined as any highway having two or more lanes of travel in each direction. (Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 769, Sec. 37. (AB 2679) Effective January 1, 2013.)

Last verified: January 9, 2026

Key Terms

directionschoolhighwaytrafficportvehicledriverroad

Related Statutes

  • § 22502 Parking Near Curbs Bikeways
  • § 22520.5 Freeway Vending Restrictions
  • § 12804.9 Driver License Exam Requirements
  • § 21228 Motorized Scooter Right-Side Riding
  • § 22511.55 Disabled Parking Placard Rules

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Vehicle Code. Section 22504.
View Official Source