Park smart! Can you park at a yellow painted curb in the city of San Diego, as well as white, green, blue and red colored curbs? What does each color mean?

Drivers who disregard the painted curb rules when parking are a big revenue source for the City of San Diego, to the tune of roughly $5 million per year. Here are the rules and which zones you can and can’t park so you don’t get a parking ticket:

Yellow Curb

Yellow-painted curbs are commercial loading zones. The yellow curb area provides access on busy streets for deliveries and other vehicle service that is essential to a nearby business. You are not allowed to park in spaces where the curb is painted with a yellow line during the day. Commerical vehicles can occupy a yellow painted curb space for up to twenty minutes. But for night games and Sunday games, yellow spots can be a gold mine when commercial parking restrictions are not in effect, meaning you are allowed to park in yellow spaces after 6pm and anytime on Sundays and holidays.

Yellow Curb Parking Holidays

The parking holidays in the city of San Diego are New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day.

San Diego Painted Curb Colors Quick Guide

When can I park next to a curb painted…

Yellow – It’s complicated

Red Curb Parking – No

White Curb Parking – Loading zone

Green Curb Parking – Sometimes

Blue Curb Parking – Almost never

All vehicles parking parallel to the curb must park within 18 inches. ​Read more in our guide to parking downtown near Petco Park. Here are some suggestions of the top things to do in San Diego. To report illegal parking in your neighborhood, call (619) 531-2000.