Purpose

• The purpose of the law is to prevent cars from being abandoned.Epave abandonn??e au bord d'une route martiniquaise image by JYF from Fotolia.com
  
  The purpose of the 72 hour parking law in California is to prohibit vehicle owners from abandoning their car on either a public or private highway or road. All vehicle owners who violate this law will have their car towed and impounded at their own expense.
  
  

The Law

• It is illegal to park your car for more than 72 consecutive hours.black car on the street image by Furan from Fotolia.com
  
  Under California Vehicle Code 22651(k), a police officer has the legal right to remove any vehicle that has been parked on a highway for more than 72 consecutive hours. Cars parked on the street for more than 72 hours also will be considered abandoned under California law.
  
  

Warning

• You must move your car 1/10 of a mile in San Francisco.san francisco image by ebulle from Fotolia.com
  
  Vehicle tires often are marked with chalk for police to see how often they are moved. It is illegal in California to erase this chalk to give the illusion that you have moved your car. In San Francisco, you must move your vehicle at least 1/10 of a mile during any 72-hour period or it will be considered abandoned.