Pasadena Street Parking Rules: Overnight Bans, Permits, and Fines

The rule that trips up more drivers in Pasadena than any other is the citywide overnight ban: it is illegal to leave a vehicle on any city street or alley between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., whether or not a sign is posted. Beyond that, Pasadena street parking rules cover color-coded curbs, metered zones in five commercial districts, street sweeping schedules that vary block by block, and stricter limits for oversized and commercial vehicles. Fines start at $60 and climb to $476 for parking in a disabled space without a placard.

The Citywide Overnight Ban

Under Pasadena Municipal Code 10.44.010, no vehicle may be parked on a city street or alley between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.¹ The ban is the default everywhere in the city. You do not need a “no parking” sign on your block to be in violation. The only exceptions are streets the transportation director has specifically exempted after an engineering study, and vehicles displaying a valid all-night parking permit.

A single overnight citation is $60.² A car left on the street multiple nights collects a separate ticket each night, and a vehicle blocking a driveway or emergency access can be towed on top of the citation.

Curb Colors

Pasadena’s painted curbs follow the rules in Municipal Code 10.40.120.³

Red curbs mean no stopping, standing, or parking at any time. This includes fire hydrant zones. Buses may stop only at a red curb signed as a bus zone.
Blue curbs are reserved for vehicles displaying a valid disabled placard or plate. Parking there without authorization costs $476.²
Green curbs allow short-term parking, limited to 15 minutes between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. every day except Sundays, unless a sign says otherwise.
White curbs are for passenger loading only, up to three minutes, between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. except Sundays.
Yellow curbs are commercial loading zones. Passenger drop-off is limited to three minutes; commercial unloading is limited to 20 minutes. The window runs 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily unless a sign specifies different hours.

When a posted sign and a curb color say different things, the sign controls. Signs often add two-hour time limits or street sweeping windows the curb color alone doesn’t tell you about, so check for metal signage near your space even when the paint seems clear.

Meters and How to Pay

The city runs more than 1,200 parking meters in five commercial areas: Old Pasadena, Civic Center, South Lake, Playhouse Village, and West Gateway.⁴ Enforcement runs six or seven days a week depending on the district.

Pasadena uses pay-by-plate. After you park, walk to the nearest multi-space meter, enter your license plate number, and pay with coins or a credit card.⁵ Rates rise the longer you stay, and they vary by zone. Old Pasadena’s core blocks run roughly $1.25 per hour, with surrounding blocks closer to $0.75. An expired meter is a $60 ticket, so feeding the meter almost always beats the gamble.²

The Passport Parking app is the phone alternative. Download it, enter the zone number printed on nearby signs, and start your session. The city adds a $0.20 convenience fee per transaction.⁴

Street Sweeping

Pasadena runs 38 sweeping routes, and most blocks are swept every two weeks.⁶ The specific day and time your block is off-limits is posted on curb signs. There is no single citywide sweeping day. If you’re new to a block, check the signs within your first few days; the city also publishes an online sweeping map and staffs a service line for schedule lookups.

Overnight Permits for Residents

Residents who lack adequate off-street parking can apply for an annual overnight permit that exempts their vehicle from the 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. ban. The permit costs $93 per year. If the application requires a field inspection, an extra $56 processing fee applies, which is credited back against the permit cost when the permit is approved.²

Approval isn’t automatic. The transportation department has to confirm that no adequate off-street parking exists within 600 feet of your home and that issuing the permit won’t create a public safety problem.¹ The vehicle also has to be registered to your home address; if it isn’t, update it through the DMV first. Company-registered vehicles require a letter on company letterhead from your supervisor confirming the car is assigned to you, with your home address and the vehicle’s make, model, and plate.⁷

Temporary Overnight Exemptions

For visitors or for residents who only need occasional relief, Pasadena sells Temporary Overnight Parking Exemptions, known as TOPEs. Each one costs $3 per night per vehicle and covers the 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. window in any legal parking space.⁷

City kiosks around Pasadena sell TOPEs for up to 10 consecutive nights starting the night of purchase. Online purchases can be made up to 30 days in advance but carry a $3.50 service charge per transaction. There are no refunds for used or unused nights.

Oversized and Commercial Vehicles

The overnight rules are tighter for larger vehicles. Commercial vehicles cannot park on any city street or alley between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., two hours earlier than the general ban.¹

Non-commercial vehicles that exceed 7 feet in height, 7 feet in width, or 20 feet in length are also banned overnight, and they cannot qualify for either an annual overnight permit or a TOPE. If you drive an RV, large truck, or trailer over those dimensions, overnight street parking is not an option anywhere in Pasadena. You’ll need private off-street parking or storage.

Holidays and Enforcement Suspensions

Meter enforcement and daytime time limits are suspended on nine holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.⁴

The city has also typically suspended the overnight ban during the stretch around Christmas and New Year’s, running from late December into early January, with no permit required during the moratorium. Exact dates change each year, so confirm with the parking office before counting on it.

Safety-related violations never pause. Red zones, blocked hydrants, and disabled spaces are enforced every day of the year, holidays included.

Fines at a Glance

From the city’s FY 2025 fee schedule:²

Overnight parking (2:00–6:00 a.m.): $60
Expired meter: $60
Disabled parking space without authorization: $476
Blocking sidewalk access for disabled persons: $401

Unpaid citations grow. Miss the payment or contest window and a delinquent notice follows, with the amount owed increased.

Contesting a Ticket

You have 21 calendar days from the date of the citation to contest it. If a delinquent notice has already gone out, the window shrinks to 14 days from that notice.⁸ Miss the deadline and you lose the right to appeal.

The process runs in two stages. You start by requesting an initial review from the Parking Citation Section. If that doesn’t clear the ticket, you have 21 days from the review outcome to escalate to an administrative hearing. You must pay the full citation before the city will schedule the hearing; if you win, you get a refund.⁹ At the hearing stage, you can appear in person or submit a written declaration with supporting evidence.

If Your Car Is Towed

A tow gets expensive fast. The city’s vehicle release fee is $154 for impounded vehicles and $175 for vehicles classified as abandoned, and the impound lot charges its own towing and daily storage fees on top.¹⁰ A day or two in the lot can run past several hundred dollars.

To find your car, call the Pasadena Police Department or the city’s parking services line at (626) 744-7665. Bring valid identification and your vehicle registration to the impound lot. Storage fees accumulate daily, so the faster you get there, the less you pay.

1
Pasadena, CA. Chapter 10.44 – Parking at Night
2
City of Pasadena. FY 2025 Transportation General Fee Schedule
3
City of Pasadena. Pasadena Municipal Code 10.40 – Stopping, Standing, and Parking
4
City of Pasadena. Find Public Parking
5
City of Pasadena. Playhouse Village On-Street Parking
6
City of Pasadena. Street Sweeping
7
City of Pasadena. Parking Permit In Front of My House
8
City of Pasadena. Parking Citations FAQs
9
City of Pasadena. Administrative Hearing Request Form
10
City of Pasadena. Towed Vehicle