Why just drive away from a great parking spot when you could auction it off? It came as news to me, but people are already doing this in San Francisco thanks to iPhone apps like MonkeyParking and Parkmodo, which let you sell your parking spot to the highest bidder.

The fun appears to be at an end, however, as San Francisco’s top lawyer has sent out a cease-and-desist telling MonkeyParking to stop renting out city property without permission.

“Technology has given rise to many laudable innovations in how we live and work — and MonkeyParking is not one of them,” City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement, adding that he is also asking Apple(s AAPL) to pull such apps from its store.

The head of MonkeyParking disagrees, and is framing the city’s decision as an example of overbearing regulation.

“We believe that a new company providing value to people should be regulated and not banned. This…