The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is shifting from warnings to tickets, as its Parking Enforcement Detail starts citing drivers under California's new "daylighting" rules and the county's tighter oversized-vehicle ordinance. The move hits several unincorporated neighborhoods where fresh signs, permits and tow-away zones are rolling out, with county and sheriff officials saying the goal is clearer crosswalk sightlines and fewer long-term RVs and trailers clogging residential streets.
What the 'daylighting' rule means for drivers
California's daylighting law, Assembly Bill 413 that is codified at Vehicle Code section 22500(n), bans stopping, standing or parking within 20 feet of the vehicle-approach side of any marked or unmarked crosswalk, or within 15 feet where a curb extension is present, according to California Legislative Information. The statute took effect Jan. 1, 2025, and many local governments opened with a warning-only grace period to get drivers up to speed before tickets started flowing. The Sheriff's Department said on X that its Parking Enforcement Detail has now moved from education to issuing citations in the covered unincorporated areas.
County ordinance expands oversized-vehicle restrictions
Los Angeles County's Department of Public Works and the Board of Supervisors revised County Code Section 15.64.075 so that "nonconforming" vehicles, defined as wider than 8 feet, taller than 7.5 feet or longer than 20 feet, face broader parking restrictions on county roadways, according to a board letter from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. The ordinance was adopted March 3, 2026, and took effect 30 days later. It pulls additional unincorporated communities, including East Los Angeles, Hawthorne, West Carson and West Los Angeles, into the restricted zones. The board letter also notes that operators in affected districts can apply for one-day residential permits that last 24 hours and can be used for up to two back-to-back 24-hour periods, and that new signage and tow-away orders will back up enforcement.
How enforcement will play out in neighborhoods
The Sheriff's Parking Enforcement Detail says it has been dropping flyers and issuing warning notices while Public Works fabricates and installs roughly 1,500 signs, and that formal ticketing and towing will follow wherever signs and tow-away orders are in place, according to the department's parking materials. The LASD stated on X that deputies have started writing citations for both daylighting violations and the county's nonconforming-vehicle rules in the affected unincorporated neighborhoods. Department guidance identifies Vehicle Code section 22500(n) for daylighting violations and cites a typical base citation amount used by many local agencies of about $63, which is then subject to added statutory assessments and fees.
Legal implications
These parking violations are treated as civil infractions rather than criminal offenses, although repeat violations can lead to towing, impound and related costs under the county tow-away provisions described in the board materials. The county ordinance carves out exemptions for vehicles that are actively performing construction or maintenance work and also lays out the residential permit process and application details. Drivers who receive citations can contest them through the county's citation payment and adjudication system, and the department and county webpages provide step-by-step instructions for paying or disputing a ticket.
How to avoid a ticket
Owners of oversized vans, trailers or RVs are advised to confirm whether their block falls inside a restricted district and, if it does, to secure one-day residential permits at their local sheriff's station. Station contacts and permit specifics are listed on the Sheriff's Parking Enforcement page. The department is urging drivers to watch for newly painted red curbs or posted signs and to leave plenty of space beyond the 20-foot or 15-foot daylighting buffers when parking near crosswalks. For the full ordinance language, maps of affected districts and the department's outreach materials, residents can refer to the county board letter and the LASD Parking Enforcement page mentioned above.
