Long Beach street parking rules layer several restrictions on top of each other, and any one of them can produce a ticket. The baseline is a 72-hour limit on parking in the same spot on any public street. On top of that, you have posted street sweeping windows, painted curb colors, metered zones with their own hours, residential permit districts, and separate rules for oversized vehicles. Common tickets run about $69 to $70, disabled zone violations cost $360, and unpaid citations trigger late fees, a DMV registration hold, and potentially a state tax refund intercept.
The 72-Hour Limit on the Same Spot
Under LBMC 10.26.010, no vehicle can sit in the same spot on a Long Beach public street for more than 72 consecutive hours. California Vehicle Code 22651 backs the city up by authorizing a tow of any vehicle left on a public road for 72 or more consecutive hours in violation of a local ordinance.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 22651
Resetting the clock means actually moving the vehicle, not nudging it forward. If a neighbor reports your car, an enforcement officer will mark it and come back after 72 hours. The citation runs roughly $69, and if the car still hasn’t moved, the city can tow it to the police impound yard. You’ll then owe the ticket plus towing and daily storage, and you’ll need current registration, proof of insurance, and valid ID to get the vehicle released.2City of Long Beach. Retrieving Your Vehicle
Street Sweeping
Street sweeping is the single most common parking citation in Long Beach, and each ticket is about $70. Signs on your block state the day and time window when parking is prohibited, and the prohibition covers the whole window, not the moment the sweeper passes. Moving your car right after the truck rolls by doesn’t help you if the posted time hasn’t expired.
You can look up your block’s schedule on the Public Works street sweeping page, the MapLB GIS tool, or the GO Long Beach app.3City of Long Beach. Public Works Sweeping is usually suspended on major city holidays, but check the parking enforcement holiday calendar each year rather than guessing. A recurring phone alarm on sweeping mornings is the cheapest protection there is.
Curb Colors
Painted curbs tell you what the space allows. Long Beach’s specific limits differ from those in neighboring Los Angeles, so don’t rely on habits from elsewhere.
- Red: no stopping, standing, or parking at any time. Hazards on doesn’t change that.
- Blue: reserved for vehicles displaying a valid disabled placard or plate. Violations are $360.
- White: passenger loading and unloading only, two-minute maximum. Also usable for depositing mail in an adjacent mailbox, and taxicab stands marked within white zones are exempt from the time limit.4City of Long Beach. Signs and Curb Markings
- Green: short-term parking of 10 to 30 minutes, with the exact limit stenciled on the curb or posted. Enforced 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, except Sundays and holidays.
- Yellow: commercial loading zone, two-minute limit for passenger loading. Enforced 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, except Sundays and holidays. No single yellow zone can exceed 35 feet.
Fines for parking at painted curbs run about $69 for most colors. Blue is the outlier at $360. Red, white, and blue curbs are enforced around the clock unless a sign says otherwise; green and yellow curbs revert to general rules outside their posted hours.
Meters and the Passport App
Meter rates and hours vary by district:
- Downtown: $1.00 per hour, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Saturday, two-hour maximum.5City of Long Beach. Parking Meters
- Downtown Core: $1.50 per hour, 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily including holidays, two-hour maximum.
- Belmont Shore (2nd Street): $1.75 per hour, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM daily excluding holidays, two-hour maximum.
- The Pike: $2.00 per hour, 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily including holidays, two-hour maximum.
- Retro Row (4th Street): $1.00 per hour, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM daily excluding holidays, three-hour maximum.
Meters accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, and most take coins. For phone payments the city uses the Passport app on iOS and Android: enter the zone number posted on the meter, add your license plate, and pay for the session.6City of Long Beach Parking. Passport Parking App A typo in your plate number means the officer sees you as unpaid.
One overlap catches people: paying a meter does not exempt you from any other posted restriction. If a street sweeping window starts while your paid session is still running, sweeping wins and you get the ticket.
Residential Parking Permits
Several neighborhoods, including Belmont Shore and parts of downtown, are Preferential Parking Permit districts. In those zones, posted signs restrict non-permit vehicles during certain hours, and residents need a permit for each vehicle they park on the street.
Permits cost $34.00 per vehicle per year and are prorated by quarter if issued after March. You can apply through the city’s Parking Permits Portal online, by mail, or in person at Long Beach City Hall, 411 W. Ocean Blvd. You’ll need proof of residency and vehicle registration; if your registration already shows a district address, that covers it, and otherwise a driver’s license or utility bill works.7City of Long Beach. Preferential Parking Permits
Every permit expires at midnight on December 31 of the year it was issued, so renewal is annual. Guest permits are available at the same $34.00 rate. Selling or transferring a permit violates LBMC 10.32.040 and carries a $100 fine plus possible revocation.
Oversized Vehicles
If your vehicle is 22 feet or longer, 80 inches or wider, or 85 inches or taller, Long Beach treats it as oversized, and overnight street parking is generally prohibited. That threshold catches a lot of RVs, larger trucks, and work vehicles that owners assume fall under normal residential rules.
Owners who need temporary street parking for a visiting RV, a moving truck, or a similar situation can apply for a Temporary Oversized Vehicle Residential Parking Permit. The city caps these at 20 permits per calendar year, and you must wait at least 24 hours between consecutive permits.8City of Long Beach. Temporary Oversized Vehicle Parking Permit
Parking on a Hill
On any grade, you must turn your front wheels to keep the vehicle from rolling into traffic if the brakes fail. Facing downhill, turn the wheels toward the curb so the car would roll into it. Facing uphill against a curb, turn them away from the curb, letting the tire catch the curb if the car rolls back. With no curb in either direction, turn the wheels to the right so the vehicle would roll off the road rather than into a lane. This is a standard California rule and violations carry a fine.
Contesting a Citation
If you think a ticket was issued in error, Long Beach uses the Citation Processing Center to handle disputes. You can start online at citationprocessingcenter.com or by mail.9City of Long Beach. Parking Citations File before the due date printed on the citation. Late payments trigger automatic penalty fees, and those fees are not reversed just because you eventually win the contest.
Bring evidence: photos of a missing or obscured sign, a meter receipt, or documentation that your residential permit was valid. If the initial contest is denied, you can typically request an administrative hearing for a second review.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay
Once the due date passes, a late penalty is added to the fine. If the citation stays unpaid, the city places a hold on your vehicle registration with the California DMV, blocking your tag renewal until you clear it. The city can also pursue a civil judgment and intercept your California state income tax refund.
Two payment plans exist if you can’t pay all at once. The standard plan requires a $25 application fee plus 25 percent of the total balance up front; while you stay in compliance, additional late fees stop, and any DMV holds are released once the down payment is received. Qualifying low-income residents can apply for an indigent payment plan that waives existing late fees and penalties on approval. Falling out of compliance with either plan reinstates the DMV hold and restarts the late fees.9City of Long Beach. Parking Citations