california is-x-legal
Is it illegal to temporarily park in front of my garage to wash my car if the townhouse association allows it and there are no posted signs?
<p>I live in a townhouse community and received a packet with the association rules when I moved here. It states that you may temporarily park in front of your garage for purposes such as loading, unloading, or washing cars. The streets are wide enough for a large vehicles to easily pass 2 large parked vehicles as there are only garage doors on either side and no driveways or sidewalks. All sidewalks are along the front of the townhomes while garages are at the rear. There are no signs posted anywhere prohibiting parking yet the police regularly ticket residents. Is this legal?</p>

<p>It is impossible from your description to tell where the roads and driveways are. <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&amp;division=11.&amp;title=&amp;part=&amp;chapter=9.&amp;article=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CVC 22500 ff</a> gives some general rules that apply across the state, regarding parking. It <em>is</em> illegal to park in front of a driveway, and one typically enters a garage via a driveway, so parking in front of a garage is illegal. If the HOA says it is legal, they may be over-stepping their authority. Also, your municipality is allowed to impose parking restrictions. It is reasonably likely that these tickets are being given legally, though if you feel that the police are making a legal error, you could pursue the matter in court – perhaps they have misinterpreted the law or are not in possession of all of the facts.</p>

<p>Washing your car on the street is <a href="https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/lamc/0-0-0-166764" rel="nofollow noreferrer">prohibited</a> in Los Angeles, probably other California counties or cities, too.</p>
<p>In addition, it's discouraged by water utilities because the dirty water goes down storm drains (plus, of course, the issue of the recent drought).</p>
