TRAFFIC-CONTROL DEVICES

SJ-MC tit. 11, ch. 11.16

in effect

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.010 Placement and maintenance - City traffic engineer authority.

11.16.010 - Placement and maintenance - City traffic engineer authority. The city traffic engineer shall have the exclusive power and duty to place and maintain or cause to be placed and maintained official traffic-control devices when and as required under this title. (Prior code § 3304.1.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.020 Installation - When required by state law.

11.16.020 - Installation - When required by state law. Whenever the Vehicle Code of this state requires for the effectiveness of any provision thereof that traffic-control devices be installed to give notice to the public of the application of such law, the city traffic engineer is hereby authorized to install the necessary devices subject to any limitations or restrictions set forth in law applicable thereto. (Prior code § 3304.2.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.030 Additional devices - Standards and limitations.

11.16.030 - Additional devices - Standards and limitations. The city traffic engineer may also place and maintain such additional traffic-control devices as he may deem necessary to regulate traffic or to guide or warn traffic, but he shall make such determination only upon the basis of traffic engineering principles and traffic investigations and in accordance with such standards, limitations and rules as may be set forth in this title or as may be determined by ordinance or resolution of the legislative body of the city. (Prior code § 3304.3.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.040 Devices required for enforcement purposes when.

11.16.040 - Devices required for enforcement purposes when. No provision of this title for which signs or signals are required shall be enforceable against an alleged violator if at the time and place of the alleged violation the sign or signal herein required is not in proper position and sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant person. Whenever a particular section does not state that signs or signals are required, such section shall be effective without signs or signals being erected to give notice thereof. (Prior code § 3304.4.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.050 Specifications.

11.16.050 - Specifications. All traffic-control signs, signals and devices shall conform to requirements of the Vehicle Code of the state, and to the specifications approved by the state department of transportation. All signs and signals required under this title for a particular purpose shall be, so far as practicable, uniform as to type and location throughout the city. (Prior code § 3304.8; Ord. 21074.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.060 Installation - Locations designated by city council.

11.16.060 - Installation - Locations designated by city council. The City traffic engineer is hereby directed to install and maintain official traffic control devices at intersections and other places where conditions are such that traffic must be managed to protect life or property from extreme hazard. The intersections or other places where official traffic control devices are to be installed and maintained shall be designated by the City traffic engineer. (Prior code § 3304.6; Ord. 30100.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.070 Locations - Determination standards - Street name signs required when.

11.16.070 - Locations - Determination standards - Street name signs required when. A. The city traffic engineer shall recommend to the council the locations where such signals are required by resort to field observations, traffic counts and other traffic information as may be pertinent and his determination therefrom shall be made in accordance with those traffic engineering and safety standards and instructions set forth in the California Traffic Manual issued by the state department of transportation. B. Whenever the city traffic engineer installs and maintains an official traffic signal at any intersection, he shall likewise erect and maintain at such intersection street name signs visible to the principal flow of traffic unless such street name signs have previously been placed and are maintained at any such intersection. (Prior code § 3304.7; Ord. 21074.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.080 Hours and days of operation.

11.16.080 - Hours and days of operation. The city traffic engineer shall determine the hours and days during which any traffic. control device shall be in operation or be in effect, except in those cases where such hours or days are specified in this title. (Prior code § 3304.11.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.090 Removal, relocation or discontinuance authorized when.

11.16.090 - Removal, relocation or discontinuance authorized when. The city traffic engineer is authorized to remove, relocate or discontinue the operation of any traffic-control device not specifically required by state law or this title whenever he shall determine in any particular case that the conditions which warranted or required the installation no longer exist or obtain. (Prior code § 3304.10.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.100 Lane markings.

11.16.100 - Lane markings. The city traffic engineer is authorized to mark centerlines and lane lines upon the surface of the roadway to indicate the course to be traveled by vehicles and bicycles, and may place signs temporarily designating lanes to be used by traffic moving in a particular direction, regardless of the centerline of the highway. When authorized signs have been placed designating off-center traffic lanes, no person shall disobey the instructions given by such signs. (Prior code § 3304.9; Ord. 29547.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.110 Safety zones for pedestrians.

11.16.110 - Safety zones for pedestrians. The city traffic engineer is authorized to establish safety zones at such places as he may deem necessary for the protection of pedestrians. (Prior code § 3304.14.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.120 Parking space markings.

11.16.120 - Parking space markings. The city traffic engineer is authorized, on the basis of public necessity as determined by traffic engineers' studies, to allocate parking spaces upon the public streets, including spaces for cycles, scooters and compact cars, as well as regulation-length vehicles. When such parking-space marks have been placed on the streets, as authorized under this section, only one vehicle of the type designated for use of such space shall park therein, and no person shall park except within the boundaries of the space defined. (Prior code § 3304.15.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.130 Security purposes defined.

11.16.130 - Security purposes defined. "Security purposes," as referred to in Sections 11.16.140 and 11.16.150, means national security, as evidenced by the need to protect from harm or spying from our enemies information and/or material or equipment. (Prior code § 3304.118.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.140 Traffic control for security purposes - Measures authorized when.

11.16.140 - Traffic control for security purposes - Measures authorized when. The city traffic engineer is authorized to determine and designate parking and traffic-control measures for security purposes when satisfactory proof of the need to restrict for such purposes has been established. (Prior code § 3304.16.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.150 Traffic control for security purposes - Standards applicable - Signs required.

11.16.150 - Traffic control for security purposes - Standards applicable - Signs required. Parking and traffic-control measures for security purposes shall conform to standards required by this Code and by common practice, except that signs used to designate such control shall bear the message, "SECURITY AREA." (Prior code § 3304.17.)

San José Municipal Code § 11.16.160 Yield right-of-way signs.

11.16.160 - Yield right-of-way signs. The city traffic engineer may conduct engineering studies, investigations and analyses of traffic conditions for the purpose of determining the necessity of erecting yield right-of-way signs at the approaches to intersections of streets and highways which are not through highways, and the city traffic engineer may, upon the basis of such traffic studies, designate those intersection approaches at which yield right-way signs shall be erected, and erect the same at said approaches. (Prior code § 3317.1.)

Source: City of San José, Municipal Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ca/san_jose/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT11VETR_CH11.16TRNTDEFetched: 11/1/2026