Private Property Green Curbs

[Bansheetattoo]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? CA

My family and I parked our car in a shopping center parking lot, in a spot that had a green curb marked "20 min. parking". It was after business hours, 8:25pm, and my husband delivers furniture for a living so he knows the parking laws, so he said that since it was after 6pm, the green curb no longer applies and we could park there. Anyways, we were going to patronize a restaurant in the shopping center, so it's not like we were just parking to go somewhere else outside of the center. There were signs posted saying that the lot was private property, that the parking spaces were for customers only, which we were, and that the max time for parking was 2 hours. Other than that, there was no wording saying that parking was enforced 24 hours. After 1.75 hrs later, we emerged from the restaurant to find our car gone. We called the towing company on the sign and he said we were towed because we had parked in a 20 minute stall and they towed us after one hour. I told him that the signs posted said the maximum time for parking was 2 hours, but he replied that we were still parked in a 20 minute spot. Are the laws for public property green curbs different from private property green curbs?

 

[aldaron]

What EXACTLY did the sign say? 20 min parking only sign does NOT mean its cool if your dog dies, or at 10 pm to park longer than 20 min.

 

[Bansheetattoo]

Sign read: "ATTENTION: 2 hour parking max, No public parking, Customer parking only, All parking is controlled, No parking in Fire Lanes, All unauthorized vehicles will be cited and/or towed away at vehicle owner's expense, Open public parking prohibited."

 

[aldaron]

GAVEL SLAMS! GUILTY pay up.

 

[Bansheetattoo]

The "20 min. parking" was painted on the green curb, not on a sign.

 

[aldaron]

Whooha wheres the 20 min parking at? All of a sudden you say 2 hours?

 

[Bansheetattoo]

What on the sign dictates that I was in the wrong? We were there less than 2 hours. And it was after regular business hours. On public green curbs, the time limit ends at 6pm. Shouldn't it be reasonable to think that this also applies to private property green curbs?

 

[aldaron]

OK you need to fight this, your city will have an ordinance to cover this or it should. Call city hall. Hey that rhymes cool.

 

[Bansheetattoo]

Please re-read my first line in my original post. Green curb read 20 min, sign read 2 hours.

 

[aldaron]

Theres a way to appeal this. Pictures and any witnesses will go along way towards over turning this.

 

[Bansheetattoo]

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[CdwJava]

What is the code section on the citation?

If not a Vehicle Code section, what local jurisdiction is this?

Many of the specifics concerning curbs and marking vary by jurisdiction. In general, however, CVC 21458(a)(4) says this about green curbs: "Green indicates time limit parking specified by local ordinance."

If the 20 minute limit was clearly marked on the curb, and the local ordinance governing these curbs does not specify that the business must be open for normal business, then it would seem that you are guilty of the offense.

 

[asiny]

Sign read: "ATTENTION: 2 hour parking max, No public parking, Customer parking only, All parking is controlled, No parking in Fire Lanes, All unauthorized vehicles will be cited and/or towed away at vehicle owner's expense, Open public parking prohibited."

The way it reads - this was the general parking lot notice.
Was this the general notice - or was this for that, specific, parking space?

Anyways, we were going to patronize a restaurant in the shopping center, so it's not like we were just parking to go somewhere else outside of the center. There were signs posted saying that the lot was private property, that the parking spaces were for customers only, which we were, and that the max time for parking was 2 hours. Other than that, there was no wording saying that parking was enforced 24 hours.

It was after business hours, 8:25pm, and my husband delivers furniture for a living so he knows the parking laws, so he said that since it was after 6pm, the green curb no longer applies and we could park there.

Step 1 - Slap your husband for thinking he knows the law, because he delivers furniture
Step 2 - It was not after business hours. The restaurant was open (a restaurant is a business) and you were clearly parked in a 20-minute-only parking space.
Step 3 - Pay fine and slap your husband again, for good measure. He's a man, he should be used to thinking he is right but being wrong.

 

[Bansheetattoo]

To CdwJava- the towing report referenced CA Vehicle Code Section 22658. This section doesn't make any mention about green curbs, but it does mention a 1-hr parking rule before being towed for unauthorized parking. Since the signs everywhere in the shopping center stated a 2-hr max, and we were patronizing the center, we thought we were okay. I couldn't find any information about green curbs as they pertain to private property.

 

[CdwJava]

To CdwJava- the towing report referenced CA Vehicle Code Section 22658. This section doesn't make any mention about green curbs, but it does mention a 1-hr parking rule before being towed for unauthorized parking. Since the signs everywhere in the shopping center stated a 2-hr max, and we were patronizing the center, we thought we were okay. I couldn't find any information about green curbs as they pertain to private property.

The curbs would be related to a local ordinance.

However, apparently this was a private impound pursuant to 22658 and not directly an issue of parking in violation of the curb markings - though you were clearly in violation of that rule. That means that you were in violation of the rules to park on the property and were impounded by the property owner/manager.