Parking Rules in Orem, UT

Orem maintains 119 local ordinances across all categories, and 9 of those deal specifically with parking rules. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Orem falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Curb Color Rules

Orem's parking code assigns fixed meanings to painted curbs: a red curb bars stopping, standing, or parking at any time, and a yellow curb marked 'Restricted Zone' bars parking except as the posted sign allows, though that yellow restriction lifts on Sundays and legal holidays. Marking a City-owned curb without prior City approval is itself unlawful.

Key details: Red curb: No stopping, standing, or parking, ever. Yellow 'Restricted Zone' curb: No parking except as posted. Yellow curb exception: Sundays and legal holidays. Marking curbs yourself: Requires prior City approval. Fire lane color: Red curb or red pavement writing.

Curb-marking violations fall under Chapter 19's blanket penalty: Section 19-1-6 makes any violation of the traffic chapter, including Section 19-3-1's curb rules, a Class B Misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both. A vehicle parked in a red-marked fire lane under Section 19-3-10 is separately declared a public-safety hazard and may be towed at the direction of a public safety officer.

Preferential Parking Districts

Orem lets residents petition to turn their street into a residential permit parking area when nonresident vehicles are crowding out on-street spaces. Once the City Council designates a zone, only vehicles displaying a City-issued residential or visitor permit may park there without a time limit; permits are free, but each dwelling gets only one per registered vehicle plus two visitor passes.

Key details: How a zone is created: Resident petition, then City Council hearing. Permit fee: None, permits are free. Permits per dwelling: 1 per registered vehicle plus 2 visitor. Enacting ordinance: Ord. No. O-01-0050, Dec. 2001. Violation penalty: Class C Misdemeanor.

Section 19-5-15 makes parking without a displayed permit in a designated zone, or falsifying a permit application, unlawful, and any violation of Article 19-5 is 'prosecuted as a Class C Misdemeanor.' The same section treats forging or copying a permit as a separate violation. A vehicle that racks up three or more citations is declared a public nuisance and 'may be towed from the public streets at the expense and risk of the registered owner,' though the owner can demand a hearing within 72 hours. Section 19-5-16 lets the City revoke a permit for a violation and bar the holder from reapplying for one year.

Loading Zones

Orem requires every business receiving or shipping goods by truck to provide at least one off-street loading space at least 10 by 25 by 14 feet, with an extra space for every 20,000 square feet of retail, wholesale, warehouse or manufacturing floor area.

Key details: Minimum loading spaces: 1 per establishment, plus 1 per 20,000 sq ft. Minimum space size: 10' wide x 25' long x 14' high. Location allowed: Same lot, side or rear yard. Applies to: Retail, wholesale, warehouse, manufacturing. Original enactment: Ord. No. 661, 4/10/1990.

A site plan or building that lacks the required off-street loading space, provides an undersized bay (under 10' x 25' x 14'), or fails to add the extra bay required per 20,000 square feet of qualifying floor area does not meet Section 22-14-11 and can be held up at site plan review or cited as a zoning violation by Orem's Development Services Department until the loading area is corrected.

Driveway Rules

Orem requires every driveway from the street to a garage, carport, or off-street parking space to be paved with asphalt, concrete, or pavers under City Code 22-14-7(B)(2), and flatly bans parking on grass or landscaped front or street-side yards in residential zones. Paving must be finished within one year of occupancy.

Key details: Driveway surface required: asphalt, concrete, or pavers. Paving distance required: up to 70 ft from ROW. Completion deadline: 1 year from occupancy. Grass/lawn parking: prohibited in front/street-side yards. Carterville Rd exception: 25 ft paved from road edge.

Unpaved-driveway or grass-parking violations are enforced as Chapter 22 zoning infractions: a Class C misdemeanor under City Code 22-1-6, carrying up to a $500 fine for an individual or $1,000 for a corporation, up to three months in jail, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. Code enforcement officers under the Development Services Director may issue non-criminal citations instead of pursuing criminal charges.

Overnight Parking

Orem has no blanket overnight on-street parking ban, but Utah Code 41-6a-1408 treats a vehicle left unattended on a highway for more than 48 hours as abandoned, and Orem City Code 19-3-6 limits any vehicle to 72 hours in the same on-street location.

Key details: Overnight ban: No citywide overnight ban; 72-hour same-spot limit (Orem 19-3-6). Abandoned (state law): Unattended on highway over 48 hours = abandoned (UCA 41-6a-1408). Permit areas: Residential Parking Permit Program restricts non-residents (Orem 19-5). Code Section: Orem City Code 19-3-6, 19-5; UCA 41-6a-1408.

A vehicle exceeding 72 hours (Orem 19-3-6) or meeting the 48-hour abandonment threshold (UCA 41-6a-1408) may be cited and removed/impounded. Abandoning a vehicle is prohibited statewide, and removal is at the owner's expense under Utah Code 41-6a-1406.

RV & Boat Parking

Orem City Code 19-3-5 makes it unlawful to park or keep any trailer, unattached camper, or boat on a public street for longer than 72 hours, and 19-3-4 bars parking any vehicle or trailer 25 feet or longer (or over 1.5 tons) on a public street in any residential zone.

Key details: Trailer/camper/boat limit: 72 hours max on a public street (Orem 19-3-5). Large vehicle ban (residential): No vehicle/trailer 25 ft+ or over 1.5 tons (Orem 19-3-4). Commercial/industrial zones: Same large vehicles barred 5:00 p.m.-9:00 a.m. (Orem 19-3-4). Code Section: Orem City Code 19-3-4, 19-3-5.

RVs, boats, campers, or trailers left beyond the limits are subject to citation under Orem City Code 19-3-4 or 19-3-5 and may be impounded under Chapter 19, Article 4.

Abandoned Vehicles

Utah Code 41-6a-1406 authorizes a peace officer to remove and impound vehicles at the owner's expense, including abandoned vehicles under 41-6a-1408, and Orem City Code Chapter 19, Article 4 declares vehicles constituting nuisances subject to City impound.

Key details: Removal authority: Peace officer may remove/impound at owner's expense (UCA 41-6a-1406). Abandonment trigger: Over 48 hours on a highway (UCA 41-6a-1408). City impound: Nuisance-vehicle impound and redemption (Orem 19-4-1 to 19-4-3). Code Section: UCA 41-6a-1406, 41-6a-1408; Orem City Code Article 19-4.

An abandoned or nuisance vehicle may be towed and impounded at the owner's expense under Utah Code 41-6a-1406 and Orem City Code Article 19-4; the owner must satisfy redemption prerequisites (including fees) before the vehicle is released.

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

Street Parking Limits

Orem caps continuous parking in the same on-street location at 72 hours (Orem City Code 19-3-6), and Utah state law (UCA 41-6a-1402) requires vehicles to be parked with the right-hand wheels parallel to and within 12 inches of the curb on a two-way roadway.

Key details: Same-location limit: 72 hours max continuous on-street parking (Orem 19-3-6). Roadway clearance: Must leave at least 10 ft of roadway width (Orem 19-3-3). Curb position (state law): Right wheels within 12 inches of curb (UCA 41-6a-1402). Code Section: Orem City Code 19-3-1 to 19-3-6; UCA 41-6a-1402.

Vehicles parked contrary to posted signs, curb markings, or the 72-hour limit are subject to citation by Orem Police and may be impounded under Orem City Code Chapter 19, Article 4 (Impounding). A violation of the Utah parking statute is a traffic infraction.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Orem City Code 19-3-4 prohibits parking any vehicle or trailer 25 feet or longer (or over 1.5 tons rated capacity) on a public street in any residential zone at any time, and bars the same large vehicles in commercial or industrial zones between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.

Key details: Residential ban: No vehicle/trailer 25 ft+ or over 1.5 tons, anytime (Orem 19-3-4). Commercial/industrial limit: Same vehicles barred 5:00 p.m.-9:00 a.m. (Orem 19-3-4). Clear-roadway rule (state law): Leave 200 ft clear view each direction (UCA 41-6a-1404). Code Section: Orem City Code 19-3-4; UCA 41-6a-1404.

Parking an oversized or heavy commercial vehicle in violation of Orem City Code 19-3-4 is subject to citation by Orem Police and possible impound under Chapter 19, Article 4. A violation of the Utah roadway-parking statute (41-6a-1404) is an infraction. Unlawful vehicle-for-sale displays are cited under 19-3-7 or 19-3-8.

The Bottom Line

Orem'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 Orem is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Orem'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.