How Hendersonville Handles Parking Rules: A Practical Guide

Hendersonville maintains 111 local ordinances across all categories, and 10 of those deal specifically with parking rules. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Hendersonville falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Loading Zones

Hendersonville reserves marked loading and unloading zones for exactly one purpose: getting passengers or merchandise in and out of a vehicle quickly. Section 15-605 bars parking there for anything else, and violations settle as low-dollar civil parking penalties under the same enforcement scheme that covers every other parking rule in Title 15.

Key details: Where it applies: Any space the City marks as a loading zone. Allowed use: Expeditious loading/unloading of passengers or merchandise only. Civil penalty (within 10 days): $3.00 fine, waive judicial hearing. Civil penalty (after 10 days): $5.00 before a warrant issues. Traffic citation cap: Up to $50.00 per separate offense.

Parking in a marked loading zone without actively loading or unloading passengers or merchandise violates Section 15-605. Under Section 15-705, that is a civil parking offense: the registered owner can settle it with the City Recorder for $3.00 within 10 days by waiving a judicial hearing, or $5.00 if resolved after 10 days but before a warrant issues. Section 15-606 presumes the registered owner responsible whenever the vehicle is found unoccupied in the zone.

Curb Color Rules

Hendersonville bans parking alongside any curb the city has painted yellow or red, one of eleven specific no-parking spots listed in the traffic code regardless of posted signage.

Key details: Prohibited: Parking alongside red/yellow-painted curb. Fine: $3 within 10 days, $5 after. Enforced by: Hendersonville Police Department. Also banned: Sidewalks, driveways, crosswalks, hydrants.

Parking beside a red- or yellow-painted curb draws a parking citation: a $3 civil penalty if resolved within ten days by waiver, rising to $5 once a warrant issues.

Abandoned Vehicles

Hendersonville bars any in-operative or unlicensed motor vehicle from sitting on any premises, and a car left on a public street over 72 hours is presumed abandoned and subject to police impoundment.

Key details: Ban: No inoperative/unlicensed vehicles on premises. Repair exception: Only inside an enclosed approved structure. Street limit: 72 hours before presumed abandoned. Impound fee: $35–$45 plus $10/day storage. Enforced by: Building & Codes / Police Dept.

Keeping a junked vehicle on a premises violates the Property Maintenance Code and is unlawful under § 13-103. Street-abandoned vehicles may be impounded under § 15-704, with owners billed $35–$45 plus $10 per day storage.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Hendersonville actively enforces its abandoned vehicles requirements.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Hendersonville residential lots may keep only one commercial vehicle up to 22 feet long or 30 feet with an attached trailer, and flatly bans semi-tractors, dump trucks, and heavy construction equipment.

Key details: Commercial vehicle max: 22 ft, or 30 ft w/ trailer. Detached trailer max: 18 ft length, 4 ft height. Banned outright: Semi-tractors, dump trucks. RV/boat front yard: Max 3 days/month outside driveway.

Parking a prohibited vehicle or exceeding the size and duration limits is a zoning violation, a misdemeanor punishable by a $50 fine, with each day counted as a separate offense (§ 4.13).

RV & Boat Parking

Hendersonville lets homeowners park RVs, campers, trailers, and boats in residential yards, but bars them from the front or corner side yard for more than three days a month, except in the driveway.

Key details: Front-yard limit: 3 days per month. Near-street limit: 1 unit at a time. Driveway parking: Exempt from time limit. Living in RV: Prohibited (residents). Visitor RV stays: 2 weeks/year max.

Storing an RV, boat, or camper in the front yard more than three days a month, parking more than one between the house and the street, or using one as a residence violates the zoning ordinance.

Overnight Parking

Hendersonville bans parking on any public street or alley within the fire limits between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., and caps parking on any other public street or alley at 72 consecutive hours without police approval.

Key details: Fire-limits ban: No parking 1 a.m.–5 a.m.. City-wide cap: 72 consecutive hours max. Extension: Police Chief approval required. Overstay result: Presumed abandoned, may be impounded. Penalty: $3–$5 civil fine.

Overstaying the overnight or 72-hour limit is a parking violation cited via § 15-703, carrying a $3 civil penalty (or $5 after 10 days) under § 15-705, plus impoundment under § 15-704 for presumed-abandoned vehicles.

Driveway Rules

Hendersonville requires every driveway and off-street parking area to be paved in concrete, asphalt, or an approved semi-pervious surface: bare dirt or grass parking isn't allowed, and a residential driveway is capped at 24 feet wide at the curb cut under the city's 2025 zoning ordinance.

Key details: Required surface: Concrete, asphalt, or approved pavers. Residential driveway width: 24 feet max at curb cut. Extra parking pad: Up to 15 feet, beside the house. New SF home curb cuts: One; two 12-foot cuts if circular. Max parking slope: 5 percent (SF driveways exempt).

Zoning Ordinance Section 4.13 makes any violation of the ordinance, including an unapproved gravel or dirt driveway or an oversized curb cut, a misdemeanor punishable by a $50.00 fine, with additional daily penalties possible and each day the violation persists counted as a separate offense; the Planning Department can require the surface or width to be corrected before further permits issue.

Street Parking Limits

Hendersonville bars parking on sidewalks, in front of driveways, within 15 feet of intersections or fire hydrants, in crosswalks, near railroad crossings, on bridges, and alongside yellow- or red-painted curbs.

Key details: No parking: Sidewalks, driveways, crosswalks. Hydrant buffer: 15 feet minimum clearance. Curb rule: Park within 18 inches of curb. Painted curbs: No parking on red/yellow curb. Fine: $3–$5 civil penalty.

Illegally parked vehicles draw a parking citation under § 15-703, with a civil penalty of $3 (or $5 after 10 days) under § 15-705, plus possible impoundment under § 15-704 if the vehicle obstructs traffic.

EV Charging

Hendersonville allows EV charging equipment with six or fewer ports as an accessory use in commercial districts, capping each pedestal at six feet tall and barring placement within 80 feet of a street right-of-way.

Key details: Port cap (minor): 6 ports or fewer. Pedestal size limit: 6 ft tall, 4 ft wide. Street setback: 80 ft from street ROW. Where allowed: Commercial; institutional in residential.

Installing EV charging equipment beyond the minor thresholds without Planning Commission site plan approval, or violating the setback/screening standards, is a misdemeanor punishable by a $50 daily fine under § 4.13.

Towing & Impound Rights

Hendersonville caps what a police-called wrecker may bill a driver at $125.00 for a standard vehicle, allows storage of $30.00 a day only after the car has sat twelve hours, and requires the vehicle to be kept inside the city unless the owner agrees otherwise. A separate city impound fee of $35.00 to $45.00 plus $10.00 a day applies when the Police Department impounds the vehicle itself.

Key details: Maximum police-call tow fee: $125.00 for a standard vehicle (Sec. 9-608(1)). Storage charge: $30.00 per day, and only after 12 hours of storage. Winching without towing: $100.00 plus $25.00 per quarter hour after the first 15 minutes. Labor after first hour on scene: $60.00 per hour. Mileage surcharge: Up to $2.50 per mile beyond 20 miles of the city limits.

Charging more than the Section 9-608 schedule is itself a prohibited act. Section 9-614(7) makes it unlawful to demand or receive pay for transporting a vehicle at the request of the Police Department in excess of the proper fare under that schedule, and the same section bars refusing a reasonable and lawful request from the owner as to destination, driving along any street or bridge to solicit towing work, intercepting a call directed to another service, taking anything other than the most direct safe route without delay, and gratuities passing between wrecker personnel and police officers. Under Section 9-627 any violation of the wrecker chapter carries a fine of up to $50.00 on conviction, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate offense. Enforcement runs through the Police Department, which inspects every wrecker before a license is issued or renewed, and the City Administrator, who may revoke, suspend, or place a permit on probation. Missed response times are handled administratively rather than by fine: three late or declined calls in a calendar month remove the service from the police call list for sixty days under Section 9-609(1). A driver who believes a bill is inflated should keep the Section 9-610 receipt, which must itemize mileage and the basis for any additional charge, and raise it with the Police Department.

This is one of the stricter rules in Hendersonville's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

The Bottom Line

Hendersonville is tougher than many cities when it comes to parking rules. Out of the 10 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Hendersonville, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

All of the above reflects Hendersonville's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.