What can you do if someone's vehicle has blocked your driveway? Call the Enforcement Division of the Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT) at (415) 553-1200 to have the automobile or truck towed away.

However, before the vehicle may be towed, you must show the DPT officer proof of address indicating that the blocked driveway is yours. The Department tries to respond promptly and claims that towing jobs take priority, but calls can often get backed up. If you are certain who the culprit is, it might be faster — though not as satisfying — simply to ask him or her to move the vehicle. 

You should also bear in mind that if you use your garage for storage — i.e., the space can no longer accommodate your car — and the external part of your driveway is not long enough for the entire length of your vehicle, you will not be eligible to have the obstructing car towed. When the DPT officer arrives to meet with you, if the situation warrants, he/she may ask you to open your garage to determine its status as a "room" or "driveway." If it does not qualify as a "driveway," then, in the eyes of the DPT, it cannot be blocked. In fact, how's this for irony?... You could actually get a ticket for partially blocking the sidewalk with your own car if it no longer fits in the garage!

Technicalities aside, if obstruction of your driveway is a recurring problem, you might want to install a "red zone" — colored curbs indicating "No Parking" — at the edges of its entrance. You may download a "Color Curb Application Form" directly from the DPT's Web site. The average installation is a two-foot red zone on either side of the driveway, and there is a non-refundable $60 processing fee, which does not include the costs of the actual installation. Bear in mind that since the DPT must also account for the preservation of existing street parking, you are not guaranteed a red zone. For more details, or to report faded or damaged pavement markings, just call the DPT's Traffic Engineering Division at (415) 715-4074.

Finally, to aid you in taking the law into your own hands, the DPT also offers a printable "Blocked Driveway" Warning Flyer, which you may leave on violators' windshields as a reminder not to block your driveway in the future.