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Home My WebLink AboutORD 56891 0290189_20251119_ms29 Ordinance No. 5689 Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Prohibiting Parking of Detached Trailers and Other Non-Motorized Vehicles on Public Streets The Council of the City of Palo Alto does ORDAIN as follows: SECTION 1. Findings and Declarations. The City Council finds and declares as follows: A.Section 22507 of the California Vehicle Code authorizes the City to regulate the parking of vehicles on City streets. B.The City has experienced a proliferation of detached trailers and other non-motorized vehicles parked on public streets and an associated increase in reports of public health, safety and aesthetic concerns. C.Street parking is a limited resource within the City. Storage of detached trailers and other non-motorized vehicles on public streets consumes limited parking supply and impedes the use of the public streets for temporary parking. D.Detached non-motorized vehicles that cannot be moved on a regular basis impede street sweeping and other clean-up operations and restrict views of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. E.Inhabited non-motorized vehicles can lead to unauthorized gray and black water disposal with the potential for illegal discharges of septic waste, wastewater, fuels, or trash from such vehicles into City streets, gutters, or storm drains due to their inability to move to access authorized disposal sites. This is particularly hazardous to the public health because Palo Alto’s storm drain system flows directly into the San Francisco Bay. The City has an obligation under federal, state, and regional regulations to keep pollutants out of the storm drain system. F.Detached trailers and other non-motorized vehicles cannot be easily or quickly moved in an emergency and may therefore cause safety hazards. SECTION 2. Section 10.44.020 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is amended to read as follows (additions underlined, deletions struck through): 10.44.020 Standing or parking, two a.m. to six a.m. (a) No person shall, between the hours of two a.m. and six a.m. of any day, unless authorized by a hardship permit issued pursuant to Section 10.44.021 or a construction or maintenance permit issued pursuant to Section 10.40.045, park upon streets or alleys located within a residential zone or public facility zone any of the following vehicles: (1) Oversized vehicles; (2) Trailers; (3) Camper shells; (4) Tow trucks as defined by California Vehicle Code Section 615; (5) Special construction equipment as defined by California Vehicle Code Section 565. Docusign Envelope ID: C5BEDDE9-4785-42C9-82F5-B20317C1D57B 2 0290189_20251119_ms29 (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, no signs or markings are necessary to give effect to the restrictions and prohibitions contained in this section. No person shall park or leave standing a non-motorized vehicle upon any public street or highway. (1)For the purposes of this subsection, “non-motorized vehicle” means any trailer, camp trailer, semitrailer or trailer coach as defined by the California Vehicle Code. “Non-motorized vehicle” does not include any bicycle, scooter, or micromobility device. (2)This subsection shall not apply to a nonmotorized vehicle that is attached to a vehicle capable of moving the nonmotorized vehicle in a lawful manner upon the street, carries a hardship permit issued pursuant to Section 10.44.021 or a construction or maintenance permit issued pursuant to Section 10.40.045, is actively being loaded or unloaded, or is undergoing emergency repairs. (c) Where not inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution or other applicable law, vehicles parked in violation of this section are subject to tow. SECTION 3. Severability. If any provision, clause, sentence or paragraph of this ordinance, or the application to any person or circumstances, shall be held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the other provisions of this Ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application and, to this end, the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby declared to be severable. SECTION 4. Effective Date. This ordinance shall be effective on the thirty-first day after the date of its adoption. // // // // // // // // // // // Docusign Envelope ID: C5BEDDE9-4785-42C9-82F5-B20317C1D57B 3 0290189_20251119_ms29 SECTION 5. CEQA. The City Council finds and determines that this Ordinance is not a project within the meaning of section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) because it has no potential for resulting in physical change in the environment, either directly or ultimately. Alternatively, it is exempt from CEQA under CEQA Guidelines section 15308 as a regulatory action for the protection of the environment. INTRODUCED: DECEMBER 8, 2025 PASSED: JANUARY 12, 2026 AYES: BURT, LAUING, LU, RECKDAHL, STONE, VEENKER NOES: LYTHCOTT-HAIMS ABSTENTIONS: ABSENT: ATTEST: ____________________________ ____________________________ City Clerk Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED: ____________________________ ____________________________ Assistant City Attorney City Manager ____________________________ Chief Transportation Official ____________________________ Chief of Police Docusign Envelope ID: C5BEDDE9-4785-42C9-82F5-B20317C1D57B Certificate Of Completion Envelope Id: C5BEDDE9-4785-42C9-82F5-B20317C1D57B Status: Completed Subject: ORD 5689-Prohibiting Parking of Detached Trailers and Other Non-Motorized Vehicles on Public Streets Source Envelope: Document Pages: 3 Signatures: 6 Envelope Originator: Certificate Pages: 2 Initials: 0 Christine Prior AutoNav: Enabled EnvelopeId Stamping: Enabled Time Zone: (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) 250 Hamilton Ave Palo Alto , CA 94301 Christine.Prior@PaloAlto.gov IP Address: 170.85.155.38 Record Tracking Status: Original 1/14/2026 4:06:00 PM Holder: Christine Prior Christine.Prior@PaloAlto.gov Location: DocuSign Security Appliance Status: Connected Pool: StateLocal Storage Appliance Status: Connected Pool: City of Palo Alto Location: Docusign Signer Events Signature Timestamp Tim Shimizu Tim.Shimizu@paloalto.gov Assist. City Attorney City of Palo Alto Security Level: Email, Account Authentication (None) Signature Adoption: Pre-selected Style Using IP Address: 192.210.17.152 Sent: 1/14/2026 4:09:07 PM Resent: 1/15/2026 8:26:12 AM Resent: 1/15/2026 8:26:48 AM Viewed: 1/15/2026 3:54:38 PM Signed: 1/15/2026 3:54:43 PM Electronic Record and Signature Disclosure: Not Offered via Docusign James Reifschneider James.Reifschneider@paloalto.gov Acting Chief of Police Security Level: Email, Account Authentication (None)Signature Adoption: Pre-selected Style Using IP Address: 199.33.32.254 Sent: 1/15/2026 3:54:44 PM Resent: 1/27/2026 10:53:28 AM Viewed: 1/27/2026 2:51:56 PM Signed: 1/27/2026 2:52:09 PM Electronic Record and Signature Disclosure: Not Offered via Docusign Ria Hutabarat Lo Ria.Lo@paloalto.gov Chief Transportation Official City of Palo Alto Security Level: Email, Account Authentication (None) Signature Adoption: Pre-selected Style Using IP Address: 165.225.242.102 Sent: 1/27/2026 2:52:11 PM Viewed: 1/28/2026 1:01:40 PM Signed: 1/28/2026 1:02:19 PM Electronic Record and Signature Disclosure: Not Offered via Docusign Ed Shikada Ed.Shikada@paloalto.gov City Manager City of Palo Alto Security Level: Email, Account Authentication (None) Signature Adoption: Pre-selected Style Using IP Address: 170.85.54.125 Sent: 1/28/2026 1:02:21 PM Viewed: 1/28/2026 1:29:08 PM Signed: 1/28/2026 1:29:19 PM Electronic Record and Signature Disclosure: Not Offered via Docusign Signer Events Signature Timestamp Vicki Veenker Vicki.Veenker@paloalto.gov Security Level: Email, Account Authentication (None) Signature Adoption: Pre-selected Style Using IP Address: 2600:1010:b08d:876e:c8c4:6dfb:c95:fba8 Signed using mobile Sent: 1/28/2026 1:29:21 PM Viewed: 2/5/2026 8:03:49 AM Signed: 2/5/2026 8:04:27 AM Electronic Record and Signature Disclosure: Not Offered via Docusign Mahealani Ah Yun Mahealani.AhYun@paloalto.gov City Clerk Security Level: Email, Account Authentication (None)Signature Adoption: Pre-selected Style Using IP Address: 76.132.2.224 Sent: 2/5/2026 8:04:29 AM Viewed: 2/6/2026 10:55:59 AM Signed: 2/6/2026 10:56:09 AM Electronic Record and Signature Disclosure: Not Offered via Docusign In Person Signer Events Signature Timestamp Editor Delivery Events Status Timestamp Agent Delivery Events Status Timestamp Intermediary Delivery Events Status Timestamp Certified Delivery Events Status Timestamp Carbon Copy Events Status Timestamp Witness Events Signature Timestamp Notary Events Signature Timestamp Envelope Summary Events Status Timestamps Envelope Sent Hashed/Encrypted 1/14/2026 4:09:07 PM Envelope Updated Security Checked 1/15/2026 8:26:47 AM Envelope Updated Security Checked 1/15/2026 8:26:47 AM Envelope Updated Security Checked 1/27/2026 10:53:27 AM Envelope Updated Security Checked 1/27/2026 10:53:27 AM Certified Delivered Security Checked 2/6/2026 10:55:59 AM Signing Complete Security Checked 2/6/2026 10:56:09 AM Completed Security Checked 2/6/2026 10:56:09 AM Payment Events Status Timestamps