Parking Rules in Alexandria, VA

If you live in Alexandria or are thinking about moving there, parking rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Alexandria has 9 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of parking rules, and some of them might surprise you.

Driveway Rules

Alexandria zoning caps how much of a required yard can be used for cars. Section 7-1005 keeps a front, side, or rear yard in compliance only if no more than 50 percent of it is used for parking, including driveways whether paved or unpaved, so most of the yard has to stay open.

Key details: Max yard coverage for parking: 50% of any front, side, or rear yard. Surface types counted: Both paved and unpaved driveways. Measured by: Each yard individually, not combined. Garage exception: One garage within 1 ft of front lot line if below curb grade. First-offense penalty: $200 civil violation.

Exceeding the 50 percent yard-parking limit is an off-street parking regulation violation under Section 11-207(A)(7), a class five civil violation: $200 for the first offense and $500 for each subsequent violation of the same requirement arising from the same facts, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense capped at $5,000 for a repeated series. The director may issue written notice under Section 11-204 ordering the excess paving or parking area corrected within ten days before pursuing further action.

RV & Boat Parking

Alexandria bans parking any trailer in any zone except under narrow exceptions, and limits recreational vehicles in residential zones to one per lot, unoccupied, parked behind the front building line. Zoning Ordinance Sections 7-1101 and 7-1102 set length caps of 25 feet in the R-8, R-12, and R-20 zones and 20 feet in all other residential zones.

Key details: Trailer parking, any zone: Banned except 4 narrow exceptions. RVs per residential lot: 1, unless in an enclosed garage/storage building. RV length cap, R-8/R-12/R-20: 25 feet. RV length cap, other residential zones: 20 feet. Outdoor RV placement: Unoccupied, behind the front building line.

Parking a trailer or an oversized, exposed, or excess recreational vehicle in violation of Sections 7-1101 or 7-1102 breaches a use or occupancy regulation under Section 11-207(A)(1), a class five civil violation carrying a $200 penalty for the first offense and $500 for each subsequent violation of the same requirement arising from the same set of facts, with each day of the violation a separate offense (charged no more than once every ten days), capped at $5,000 total for a repeated series. Before that, the director can serve written notice under Section 11-204 ordering the trailer or RV removed within ten days, and can seek an injunction or abatement order under Section 11-203(C) if the violation continues.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Alexandria actively enforces its rv & boat parking requirements.

Street Parking Limits

Alexandria bars parking in front of a private driveway, within five feet of an alley, within 20 feet of an intersection, or for more than 72 continuous hours in the same spot. Standard parking citations are $40 if paid within 30 days of the ticket.

Key details: Driveway clearance: No parking in front of any driveway. Intersection clearance: 20 ft from curb lines. Alley clearance: 5 ft from any alley. Time limit: 72 continuous hours max in one spot. Base citation: $40 if paid within 30 days.

Sec. 10-4-48 sets the base parking citation at $40 if the ticket is not contested and is paid to the director of finance within 30 days of issuance. Violations of the driveway/intersection-clearance rule in Sec. 10-4-41 and the fire-hydrant rule in Sec. 10-4-42 instead carry the penalty amount set by order of the Supreme Court of Virginia under Va. Code Sec. 16.1-69.40:1, rather than the flat $40 fine.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Alexandria bars parking trucks, buses, vans and other commercial vehicles on residential streets, with a narrow exception allowing up to eight hours in any 24-hour period while loading, unloading or servicing an abutting property. A truck is any vehicle over 7,500 pounds registered gross weight.

Key details: Rule: No truck/commercial vehicle parking on residential streets. Exception window: Up to 8 hrs per 24 hrs while loading/servicing. Truck defined as: Over 7,500 lbs registered gross weight. RVs/trailers: Regulated separately under Sec. 10-4-9. Standard fine: $40 if paid within 30 days.

Violations of Sec. 10-4-6 fall under the general parking penalty in Sec. 10-4-48: a $40 civil penalty if paid to the director of finance within 30 days of the citation. Vehicles that continue to violate posted parking restrictions remain subject to towing or immobilization procedures under the city's separate impoundment provisions.

Overnight Parking

City Code § 5-8-82 lets Alexandria post 'restricted overnight parking district' signs banning any vehicle not registered with the city, and without a guest or visitor permit, from parking on that block between midnight and 6:00 a.m. Districts must be entirely residential and cannot overlap an existing permit parking district.

Key details: Restricted hours: midnight to 6:00 a.m.. Minimum district size: 200 on-street spaces. Petition threshold: 66-2/3% of abutting occupants. Survey threshold to qualify: 25%+ unregistered vehicles. Zoning requirement: 100% residential.

Parking an unregistered, unpermitted vehicle in a posted restricted overnight parking district between midnight and 6:00 a.m. is unlawful under § 5-8-82(a) and results in a parking citation. Because § 5-8-82(e) incorporates the rest of Article F, misuse of a guest or visitor permit, such as displaying it on the wrong vehicle or after it no longer qualifies, triggers the $250 fine set by § 5-8-80 and voids the permit immediately.

EV Charging

Alexandria EV chargers need an electrical permit (and possibly a structural permit) via APEX. In the two locally-regulated historic districts or on 100-Year-Old Buildings, chargers visible from a public right-of-way trigger BAR review. The number of chargers cannot exceed allowed parking spaces.

Key details: Electrical Permit: Required. Submit Via: APEX system. Historic ROW Charger: BAR review. Charger Cap: ≤ allowed spaces.

Preferential Parking Districts

Alexandria posts residential permit parking (RPP) district signs once a block qualifies under City Code § 5-8-72. Inside a posted district, a vehicle without a valid permit can stay no more than two or three consecutive hours during the signed weekday or Sunday hours before it must move.

Key details: Non-permit dwell limit: 2-3 consecutive hours. Petition threshold: >50% of block's occupants. Qualifying occupancy survey: 75%+ spaces filled. Nonresident vehicle threshold: >25% of parked vehicles. Permit misuse fine: $250.

Parking past the posted hour limit without a permit is a parking citation. Falsifying a permit application, or displaying a permit on a vehicle it wasn't issued for or after its conditions lapse, carries a separate $250 fine under § 5-8-80, and the permit becomes invalid immediately upon the violation.

Loading Zones

Alexandria limits designated loading zones to immediate, continuous loading or unloading of freight or passengers during the hours the zone is signed for that purpose. Vehicles loading or unloading must park at 45 degrees or less from the curb unless a special hardship permit allows a steeper angle.

Key details: Use restriction: Immediate, continuous loading/unloading only. Angle for loading: 45 degrees or less from curb. Steeper angle: Requires traffic & parking board permit. Food trucks: Barred from loading zones entirely. Standard fine: $40 if paid within 30 days.

Loading zone violations fall under the general parking penalty schedule in Sec. 10-4-48: a $40 civil penalty if the citation is paid to the director of finance within 30 days, unless a different amount is set elsewhere in the code or by state law. A vehicle occupying a loading zone outside the permitted loading window, or beyond the immediate loading/unloading activity, is subject to the same citation and to towing under the city's general parking-enforcement authority.

Abandoned Vehicles

Alexandria can order a vehicle towed once it becomes an 'abandoned motor vehicle' or sits unattended past the code's time limits under City Code § 5-8-22. Grounds include ten days unattended on public property, 72 hours on private property without permission, or three or more unpaid parking tickets against the vehicle.

Key details: Public property limit: 10 days unattended. Private property limit: 72 consecutive hours. Abandoned definition: 75+ lbs, 48+ hrs unattended. Towing charge: $125. Storage charge: $50 per day.

Failing to reclaim a towed vehicle within the notice period does not stop the fees from accruing: towing ($125), storage ($50/day) and the $90 administrative charge all remain owed, plus any parking tickets that triggered the removal. An unclaimed vehicle can be transferred to a scrap processor or sold at public auction after the 21-day posted notice under § 5-8-27, and the owner forfeits all right, title and interest in the vehicle once notice requirements are met.

The Bottom Line

Alexandria's parking rules rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Alexandria is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Alexandria's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.