New Bedford's Parking Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles parking rules a little differently. In New Bedford, Massachusetts, there are 6 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

RV & Boat Parking

New Bedford bans leaving a boat trailer, utility trailer, or camper unattended on a public way or city property under § 23-22, unless it stays hitched to a vehicle ready to be towed away immediately. Violators face up to a $300 fine per day plus towing and storage costs.

Key details: What's regulated: Boat/utility trailers on public ways/city land. Compliant condition: Hitched, immediately towable. Max fine: $300 per day. Also owed: Removal + storage costs, state-capped. Private driveways: Not covered by this section.

Leaving a covered trailer or portable structure unattached on a public way or city property, meaning not hitched and ready for immediate towing, is punishable by a fine not exceeding three hundred dollars ($300.00), with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. The owner is also liable for the reasonable cost of city-ordered removal and any storage charges, capped at the prevailing state-set rates under 220 C.M.R. 272 for towing and M.G.L.A. c. 159B, § 6B for storage.

Street Parking Limits

New Bedford makes it unlawful to leave any vehicle in a street or public place so it obstructs travel, once the driver has been asked to move it by someone who needs to use that street or ordered to move it by police. Blocking a designated fire lane, even briefly and unattended, is a separate, standalone violation.

Key details: Obstruction rule: Unlawful after request/order to move. Fire lane rule: No advance warning required. Metered parking: Must sit wholly within painted lines. Enforcement: Police, § 23-46. Metered-parking penalty: M.G.L.A. c. 90, § 20A.

Leaving a vehicle blocking a street or public place after being asked or ordered to move it violates Section 23-8(a); parking or leaving a vehicle unattended in a marked fire lane violates Section 23-8(b) with no advance request required. Metered on-street parking outside the painted lines, or past the zone's posted maximum time, is punished under M.G.L.A. c. 90, § 20A via Section 23-47.

Driveway Rules

New Bedford bars open-air parking in front of a home in residential districts, with a narrow exception for a driveway leading to a garage beneath the dwelling. Citywide, driveways must be paved in concrete or asphalt; only single- and two-family homes may use compacted gravel or stone instead.

Key details: Front-yard open parking: Prohibited in residential districts. Under-dwelling garage exception setback: 20-foot minimum dwelling setback. Max residential driveway width: 18 feet. Standard surface requirement: Concrete or asphalt. Gravel/stone allowance: Single- and two-family homes only.

Parking placed in a required front yard, or a driveway or lot surfaced with an unapproved material, is a zoning violation enforced by the Inspector of Buildings under Section 5120. Section 5130 sets the penalty at $300 per offense, with each day the violation continues treated as a separate offense, until the parking or surface is brought into compliance or removed.

Abandoned Vehicles

New Bedford makes it unlawful to abandon a motor vehicle on any highway, or, if publicly visible, on private property, under section 12-48. Police may authorize towing after 48 hours on private property or 10 hours on a highway, and an unclaimed vehicle seven years old or newer can be sold at public auction after 30 days' notice.

Key details: Highway wait before tow: 10 hours, authorized by police chief. Private property wait: 48 hours, inspector of buildings. Hazard vehicles: Immediate removal authorized. Unclaimed sale: Public sale after 30 days if 7 years or newer. Owner liability: Owner pays all towing and storage costs.

Leaving a vehicle abandoned on a highway, or visible on private or public property, violates section 12-48. The city documents the vehicle, attempts to identify the owner through DMV and state police records, and bills all towing and storage costs to the owner before release. Unclaimed vehicles seven years old or newer are sold at public auction after 30 days, with proceeds applied to towing, storage, and processing costs.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

New Bedford bans parking any vehicle needing more than a Class D license, plus every tow truck, within residence zones AA, A, B, and C under § 23-23. The ban reaches private driveways and yards too, not just public streets, with only narrow delivery and construction exceptions.

Key details: Covered vehicles: Non-Class D license vehicles, tow trucks. Zones covered: Residential AA, A, B, C. Where banned: Streets, driveways, yards (not garages). Delivery exception: Active pickups/deliveries allowed. Construction exception: Requires an issued building permit.

The ordinance text itself does not print a specific dollar fine for § 23-23; violations of Chapter 23 traffic provisions are generally enforced through the city's standard penalty schedule, and a heavy truck or tow truck found parked or standing in a residential zone AA, A, B, or C outside the delivery or permitted-construction exceptions is in violation regardless of whether it sits on the street, a driveway, or a yard.

Compared to other cities, New Bedford takes a harder line on commercial & oversized vehicles. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Loading Zones

New Bedford lets commercial vehicles sit in a metered space without feeding the meter for up to thirty minutes, but only to load or unload. Once that half hour is up, the driver owes the parking meter coin like anyone else, and staying past the limit without depositing it is a violation of the parking-meter article.

Key details: No-coin loading window: 30 minutes, commercial vehicles only. Purpose limit: Loading/unloading only. Past 30 minutes: Coin required, or violation. Enforcement: Police, § 23-46. Penalty: M.G.L.A. c. 90, § 20A.

Parking a commercial vehicle in a metered space past thirty minutes without depositing a coin is a violation of the parking-meter article once the loading exemption in Section 23-43 expires. The fine follows Section 23-47's cross-reference to M.G.L.A. c. 90, § 20A, and a meter reading "Expired" under Section 23-40 is treated as prima facie proof of the violation.

The Bottom Line

New Bedford'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 New Bedford is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that New Bedford can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.