Someone is painting illegal red curbs in Sacramento, and the city wants it to stop

The City of Sacramento says someone is using red paint to create their own no-parking zones along city streets.

People who live in the Curtis Park neighborhood say they first started seeing new street parking restrictions go in several months ago, but they had no idea that it was an unauthorized act.

Savorian Smith first noticed it outside her home on Second Avenue.

"Somebody had the nerve to do it without permission," she said.

Chris Browder also noticed the mysterious red markings.

"It appeared they were there to alert people that you're not supposed to park there," he said.

When city officials found out about the unauthorized red zones, they sent a crew out to cover them up with gray paint.

But there's a twist: it turns out it actually is illegal to park in these spots.

In January 2025, a new traffic safety law took effect that creates a 20-foot "no parking" buffer zone near crosswalks to make it easier for cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists to see each other.

Each of the unauthorized red zones was in these 20-foot areas, and the city says people could get a ticket for parking here no matter if the curb is red or gray.

A city spokesperson told CBS News Sacramento that "the city asks that residents not paint curbs or make other modifications within the public right-of-way on their own, as unauthorized changes can create confusion and may conflict with established traffic control standards or planned improvements."

But the city didn't answer questions about why the red curbs were removed, or if it's still illegal to park there.

"I understand the sentiment, and maybe I appreciate it some, but vigilanteism doesn't really do us any good," Browder said.

The city says it doesn't have enough funding to immediately paint all the curbs near crosswalks, but they are adding them in new transportation projects and as resources allow.