Using A Traffic Cone To Reserve A Public Parking Spot Is Both Illegal And A Jerk Move

Parking in congested neighborhoods can be frustrating, and finding a spot near your residence can be difficult to near-impossible. To avoid the headache that comes with finding parking, some residents have taken to placing traffic cones in the street at their favorite parking spots to reserve them for themselves. However, these people are breaking the law in some localities.

This is the case in San Bruno, California, located in the San Francisco Bay area, where residents are placing not only traffic cones but garbage cans in the parking spots in front of their homes. In response, the local police department reached out to these residents in a social media post. As reported by KTVU, "Per California Vehicle Code 21465, it is illegal to place traffic cones or other unauthorized objects on a public street to reserve a parking spot. Many cities and local ordinances prohibit such actions."

Arguably, it may be even more challenging to find a parking spot in New York City, where even "free" parking isn't free. There, people have gone so far as to paint curbs yellow and make official-looking signs that "prohibit" parking — for everyone except them. This is also illegal in New York, where code 4-08(n)(7) states that it is "unlawful" to reserve a parking space by standing there yourself or putting boxes, cans, "or any other device, including unauthorized pavement, curb or street markings or signs in the roadway." 

There are many reasons why parking in residential areas, particularly in urban neighborhoods with high-density housing, is turning into a strange type of turf war. More and more people are moving into these areas for easy access to everything, better cultural options, and to be closer to their workplace. More people equals more cars, and more cars in parking-limited neighborhoods equals plenty of parking-related stress for all residents. It is possible to have a car that is parked directly in front of your driveway towed, but that doesn't mean you can reserve all of the public spaces surrounding your home.

Nevertheless, this practice of placing cones down to reserve a public space isn't new. In 2023, Philadelphia police also warned residents to stop blocking spaces with traffic cones. Law enforcement has issued similar warnings in Los Angeles and various locations around San Diego. Elsewhere in California, people have also painted fake red curbs on the street to signify a "no parking" zone, which is also illegal. Some multi-car families have even been reported parking their cars in the street with less than a car-length between them, so that they can go back and adjust the spacing to let one of their cars park there later.