Hi Seal Beach. Coincidentally, this week I received two emails about the same topic, 72-hour parking limits. See below:
Hello Lt. Nicholas – I have a question on the 72 hour parking rule. I’m curious why this rule is not enforced more given the technology the parking patrol now has. I’m sure many in Old Town have similar scenarios in their parking bubble, but we have a number of cars who never move. They move out of the way for street sweeping and go right back to the same spot, not moving for another week. I’m not sure I believe someone should get a ticket right away, but some of the cars that are permanently parked on the streets sure do make it harder for everyone else, especially when it’s someone’s 3rd, 4th, etc. … car.
Thanks! Steve
Dear Lieutenant Nicholas,
I am well aware of the main reason why Seal Beach has limitations in regards to the duration of parking in one location. It certainly is much more of a useful ordinance in the old town section of Seal Beach then it is for the area in which I live, College Park East.
I have concerns that people use this ordinance as a weapon of revenge against their neighbors. I have experienced such an incident personally. I won’t bore you with the details, but it was basically borne out of a misunderstanding by our next-door neighbor. Due to her being angry at us, she called the police to report that my father‘s car (he was visiting us for the week from out of state) was parked in the same spot for more than 72 consecutive hours. she didn’t realize that the car had actually been moved a couple of times during that period, and just happened to be put back in the exact spot for a couple of reasons (keep in mind my father is in his 80s and had virtually no other place to park his car within a convenient distance of our house [due] to construction in progress at our neighbors house on the other side.).
Anyway, when the police showed up at our house, he had a nice conversation with my father, and expressed dismay that he was called to investigate this matter. in our case, we ended up with a satisfactory result, and were pleased with the reasonableness in which the officer handled the situation. So I give my thanks to the Seal Beach Police Department for that. But I have seen from others on the Nextdoor website that their neighbors were also unreasonably calling Police for this type of matter in College Park East, because some people feel they own the rights to parking on the curb in front of their house. Generally, there is plenty of parking in our development, so people shouldn’t have to feel the need to be so protective of the curb space in front of their home.
I am not sure what the answer to this issue is. Perhaps you can work with Shelly Susarstic and issue some kind of statement in her monthly newsletter that gets mailed to all of our homes here, to discuss this issue and make a plea for people to not abuse the ordinance, and possibly issue a gentle reminder that the street is public property, and homeowners do not have the right to limit who can park at any location on the street.
Thank you for your time, and for your service to our great city.
Sincerely, [NAME WITHHELD]
Okay, first let’s discuss exactly what this law is. Contrary to popular belief, this regulation isn’t specific to Seal Beach. California Vehicle Code §22651(k) makes it illegal for a vehicle to be parked in the same spot for more than 72 hours, on any public street in California . After 72 hours, the vehicle may be cited and/or towed. This law is on the books to help reduce the number of abandoned vehicles left on the roadway and to give police agencies the authority to remove them. Equally important, it helps to free up available parking, especially in areas like Old Town where parking is already at such a premium.
Generally, 72 hour parking enforcement is by complaint only. When we receive a complaint about an abandoned vehicle, or a vehicle left on the street, our parking control will respond to the location, place a printed 72 hour warning on the windshield of the car, mark the vehicle where it is parked, and file it so that they can return 72 hours later. If the vehicle is moved, great! If not, then we will often issue a citation. If it is an ongoing issue with a particular vehicle, we may elect to tow the car. Unless our parking control officers see the same vehicle in one spot, collecting dust, and not being moved, we are normally notified by members of the community about abandoned vehicles.
As far as Steve’s question about the use of technology to digitally “mark” vehicles for 72 hours, there are limits to the technology. The data storage requirements to accomplish this would exceed the capabilities of our system. Again, our response to 72 hour violations is generally generated by community complaints and they occur infrequently enough not to warrant the technology upgrade necessary. However, please don’t hesitate to call us. A lot of the time when we place the warning on the car, the owner will take the gentle hint and move it. It’s a win-win for us.
Our goal is not to issue tickets, generate revenue, or inconvenience the Seal Beach community. We want to make sure that parking, especially in congested areas of town, is available for everyone and their vehicles. We use this law to help ensure residents have equal access to parking, at least to the best of our availability.
As far as the College Park East resident who wrote in wishing to be anonymous, I’m sorry that you feel your neighbors are intentionally using the police to enforce what they believe is their private parking spaces in front of their homes. It should go without saying that curbs in front of houses are public spaces and anyone is able to park there, resident or not. It has not been our experience that this law is used to exact revenge on residents. My recommendation is to have a civil conversation with your neighbor to determine if there is some sort of misunderstanding. However, if you believe you are being unfairly reported by people in your neighborhood, you are welcome to call us and we will have an officer discuss it with you and/or your neighbors.
All this is to write that I think we’re pretty reasonable when it comes to balancing the needs of the community to have available parking, issuing warnings, and taking enforcement action when necessary for 72 hour violations. Whether you feel cars are getting marked inappropriately, or you’d like to see more cars marked, please do not hesitate to call us. Our non-emergency number is (562) 594-7232.
Thank you both for your questions. Please keep them coming. Email us at askacop@sealbeachca.gov today!
