Michael In San Francisco, for example, there is a rule that you can only leave your car in one spot for 72 hours, even if there are no traffic signs, parking meters, or public street cleaning times that limit the parking duration. After the three days have passed, it is not enough to move the car to the opposite side of the road; you must drive it at least one block away.
Since such a long parking period is not easy to monitor, it is rarely enforced, but recently I saw and photographed a car that had obviously been parked in a parking lot for a longer period with a warning notice (Figure 1).
Especially when you study the penalty fee ordinance of the city of San Francisco in detail, and find out everything that is prohibited just while parking a car, you might burst into laughter: If you stick a "For Sale" sign on the window to indicate that you want to sell the car, you'll get a ticket for over 50 dollars. Why? In the "Police Code," Paragraph 710.2, it states that this is prohibited. Why this rule was enacted, probably no one knows anymore, but it exists, and the city coffers need a constant stream of dollars, so it is cautiously upheld. This recently happened to an acquaintance, who wanted to sell his car and subsequently wasn't sure whether it was a joke or a real ticket.
Or, how about parking in the wrong direction? I once got a ticket for that in Germany and was really annoyed by this pettiness -- however, according to Section VC22502B of the traffic code in San Francisco, it also costs 45 dollars if you park your car against the direction of traffic.
The fee schedule is not limited to parking offenders; it also regulates behavior on public transportation. Under TC128.5, it states that you supposedly have to pay a $50 fine if you talk to the driver in a tram or bus ("Conversing with Operator")! However, I can't imagine that this is ever enforced, as every American would rightly shake their head at it.