How Longmont Handles Parking Rules: A Practical Guide

Longmont maintains 129 local ordinances across all categories, and 8 of those deal specifically with parking rules. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Longmont falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Abandoned Vehicles

Longmont bans abandoning or publicly keeping any vehicle in the city under LMC § 11.12.040, covering vehicles left on private property over 48 hours without consent, sleeper vehicles parked on public rights-of-way, and junked vehicles left on any street or private lot; violators face towing, a $50 impound release fee, and a $50 civil parking fine under § 11.16.030.

Key details: Core prohibition: Unlawful to abandon or publicly keep any vehicle citywide. Private-property trigger: 48 hours without owner or lessee consent. Civil fine: $50.00 under LMC § 11.16.030(D)(2). Impound release fee: $50.00 before release, § 11.12.010(D). Hearing deadline: Owner must request hearing within 20 days.

Abandoning or publicly keeping a vehicle in violation of § 11.12.040 carries a $50.00 civil parking fine under § 11.16.030(D)(2), and § 11.12.070 lets the city attorney bring a civil abatement action treating the vehicle as a public nuisance, with the court assessing towing, storage costs and the city's attorneys' fees against the owner. Under § 11.12.080, an owner may request a municipal court hearing within 20 days of notice; if the city prevails, an additional $25.00 hearing fee applies, and decisions are appealable under C.R.C.P. 106(a)(4).

Compared to other cities, Longmont takes a harder line on abandoned vehicles. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Driveway Rules

Longmont requires any front or side yard where a vehicle is parked to be surfaced in asphalt, concrete, or at least three inches of gravel, with most of the yard kept permeable.

Key details: Where it applies: Front/side yard setback near street. Allowed surfaces: Asphalt, concrete, or 3" gravel. Permeable minimum: 60% of yard, 75% corner lots. Code section: IPMC § 302.3.1 (local addition).

Parking on bare dirt or grass within a required front or side yard setback violates § 16.20.170's surfacing requirement and is enforced as an International Property Maintenance Code violation.

Loading Zones

Longmont limits loading and unloading in alleys to 25 minutes. Municipal Code § 11.04.108 amends Section 1215 of the state Model Traffic Code so that no one may park a vehicle in a city alley for more than 25 minutes while loading or unloading merchandise, freight or passengers, whether the vehicle is a delivery truck or a passenger car.

Key details: Time limit: 25 minutes for loading/unloading in an alley. Applies to: Any vehicle, delivery or passenger. Legal basis: Amends Model Traffic Code Section 1215. Case type: Civil traffic infraction, not criminal. Heard by: Municipal judge or parking-infraction referee.

Under § 11.06.020, all Model Traffic Code violations, including overstaying the 25-minute alley loading window, are civil traffic infractions rather than criminal offenses, and § 11.06.030 sends contested tickets to the municipal judge, associate municipal judge, or a judge-designated referee for parking-infraction hearings rather than a jury trial.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Longmont bars parking semitrailers and truck-tractors on residential streets except while loading or unloading, and limits any truck left on a nonresidential street to 72 consecutive hours.

Key details: Residential streets: No parking except loading/unloading. Nonresidential limit: 72 consecutive hours. Weight-route rule: 7,000 lb trucks need posted route. Violation type: Civil parking infraction.

Parking a semitrailer or truck-tractor on a residential street outside active loading/unloading, or leaving any commercial truck on a nonresidential street past 72 hours, is a civil parking infraction under chapter 11.16.

RV & Boat Parking

Longmont bars off-street parking spaces from being used for long-term storage of recreational vehicles, boats, motor homes, campers, mobile homes, or building materials, limiting spaces to licensed, operable motor vehicles.

Key details: Long-term RV/boat storage: Prohibited. Space use limited to: Licensed, operable motor vehicles. Also barred: Mobile homes, building materials. Applies to: All off-street parking spaces.

Using a driveway or off-street parking space to store an unlicensed, inoperable, or long-term-parked RV, boat, motor home, or camper, rather than an operable motor vehicle, violates the code.

Compared to other cities, Longmont takes a harder line on rv & boat parking. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Overnight Parking

Longmont makes it unlawful to leave most vehicles parked on any street, alley, or other public right-of-way for 48 hours or longer, treating them as abandoned or publicly kept.

Key details: General limit: 48 hours on public property. Sleeper vehicles: No unattended parking without permit. Permit duration: 7 days, § 11.12.045. Enforcement: Impoundment, § 11.12.010.

A vehicle left on a public street for 48+ hours may be impounded under LMC § 11.12.010 and its owner charged under § 11.12.040 for unlawful abandonment or public keeping.

Street Parking Limits

Longmont's amended Section 1204 of the model traffic code, codified at Municipal Code § 11.04.102, bars stopping or parking on sidewalks, in intersections, crosswalks and bike lanes, and within set distances of driveways, fire hydrants, crosswalks and fire stations; violations are civil parking infractions handled through the city's parking bureau.

Key details: Driveway buffer: 5 feet. Fire hydrant buffer: 15 feet. Contest window: 60 days from ticket. Delinquency charge: fine amount added again if unpaid. Scofflaw threshold: 4+ unpaid tickets, 60+ days.

Miss the 60-day window to pay or contest, and § 11.16.050 adds a delinquency assessment equal to the original fine, effectively doubling what's owed. A vehicle with four or more unpaid tickets sitting delinquent for 60-plus days lands on the city's scofflaw list under § 11.16.055, and after a mailed notice and missed deadline, any parking enforcement, community service or police officer may impound it, adding a $25 assessment plus towing and storage costs.

EV Charging

Longmont requires new buildings and major parking renovations after March 1, 2024 to provide EV-ready, EV-capable, or EVSE-installed parking spaces under a tiered table keyed to total off-street spaces provided.

Key details: Effective date: March 1, 2024. Multifamily EVSE Installed: 5% of spaces (large lots). One/two-family homes: 1 EV Ready space per unit. Governing table: Table 15.05.080(5).

Noncompliant new construction or major parking renovations can be denied building permit approval or a certificate of occupancy by Planning and Development Services until the required EV-ready infrastructure is installed.

The Bottom Line

Longmont is tougher than many cities when it comes to parking rules. Out of the 8 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Longmont, 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 Longmont'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.