SAN MARCOS — The San Marcos City Council has updated its fee schedule to include fines for violators of the state’s daylighting law, which prohibits parking within 20 feet of intersections to promote visibility and prevent accidents.
Assembly Bill 413 went into effect in early 2025 and prohibits parking within 20 feet of any intersection, including those with marked or unmarked crosswalks. The bill aims to expand drivers’ field of vision at intersections, helping prevent collisions with pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders, and other vehicles.
On Tuesday, the City Council approved adopting a $52 fine for violations of the daylighting law, to take effect after a 60-day warning period.
“This item brings the city’s parking penalty fee schedule into alignment with the current state law,” said city Housing and Neighborhood Services Director Sylvia Daniels. “Overall, this item is about improving intersection safety while having a minimal impact on existing parking conditions.”
City staff said citations will be issued primarily in response to complaints. However, the law will apply at all intersections, even where there is no signage or painted curbs to indicate it.
City Manager Michelle Bender said the city has been receiving complaints about particularly high-traffic areas, such as intersections near schools, where there is heavy foot and car traffic during pickup and drop-off.
“We will be enforcing on a complaint basis, so we’re not going to go out hunting for folks, but we’re getting complaints particularly in areas that are adjacent to school sites, because obviously that is where you have a higher volume of children crossing,” Bender said.
Councilmember María Nuñez noted that parking is already challenging in some parts of the city, particularly in District 1. Since there won’t always be signage or red curbs, some residents may be confused about where they can park without receiving a citation, she said.
“Since you’re not gonna be marking this specific area, how will residents know if they are in violation? That’s one of the things I think isn’t always obvious,” Nuñez said.
Bender said it’s best for residents to assume that they could get a parking ticket anytime they park within 20 feet of an intersection. However, since drivers will be eyeballing the 20-foot distance from the intersection, the city will use a common-sense approach when assessing potential violations, they said.
Councilmember Ed Musgrove said that while the city can’t “break the bank” by painting curbs red at every intersection, there may be certain heavily-impacted areas where it becomes necessary to add paint.
He noted that in areas where more and more housing is being built, such as Richmar, on-street parking is becoming scarce.
“I don’t want to slam the door completely on red curbs because I think as we go along, we’re going to find there will be some areas [that] are more problematic,” Musgrove said.
The City of San Diego’s website states that 20 feet is approximately one and a half car lengths.
