Parking Rules in Salem, OR

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

Abandoned Vehicles

Salem bars keeping a wrecked, neglected, or derelict vehicle outdoors on any premises or in the right-of-way unless it falls under a licensed wrecking, dealer-display, or vehicle-service exception. Code enforcement ties removal to SRC 50.265's abatement rule, which routes junk-vehicle towing, notice, hearing rights, and disposal through the citywide impound procedure in SRC chapter 102.

Key details: Governing section: SRC § 50.260, keeping junk prohibited. Abatement authority: SRC § 50.265, ties to SRC 102.200-102.240. Low-value disposal threshold: $500.00 or less, to licensed dismantler. Standard disposal threshold: $2,000.00 or less, per ORS 819.210. Hearing window: 5 days to request Municipal Court hearing.

Keeping more than five cubic yards of junk, including a derelict vehicle, on residential property is a listed public nuisance under SRC 50.805(k), enforced through the SRC 50.800-50.880 abatement chain: a notice under SRC 50.810 sets a compliance deadline, after which the City can do the work and bill it back with a 20 percent overhead charge under SRC 50.840, becoming a lien if unpaid within 30 days under SRC 50.845. General infractions carry a $100.00-$250.00 fine under SRC 50.900(c), plus a civil penalty up to $2,000.00 per violation under SRC 50.915.

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

Preferential Parking Districts

Salem designates carpool permit parking zones under Salem Revised Code section 102.080, reserved for vehicles displaying a valid carpool permit. Two vehicles cannot use the same permit number in the same zone at the same time, and each is separately in violation, a $50.00 infraction under SRC 102.135(a)(2)(J).

Key details: Zone type: Carpool permit zone (SRC 102.080). Core rule: No 2 vehicles on 1 permit number at once. Fine: $50.00 (SRC 102.135(a)(2)(J)). Zones set by: Director's administrative order (SRC 102.020). Related offense: Forged/altered permit use (SRC 102.105).

Parking two vehicles under the same carpool permit number in the same carpool permit zone at the same time violates SRC 102.080, and each vehicle is separately in violation, a $50.00 Prohibited Parking in Carpool Permit Zone infraction under SRC 102.135(a)(2)(J). Using an altered, forged, or expired permit is a separate, additional violation of SRC 102.105.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Salem bars any vehicle or trailer combination over 23 feet long or 8 feet wide from parking on a street in a residential zone, except while actively loading, unloading, or providing service, under Salem Revised Code section 102.040(g). Property owners may still store one commercial vehicle at home as an accessory use under the zoning code's residential use tables.

Key details: Size trigger: Over 23 ft. long or 8 ft. wide (SRC 102.040(g)). Where barred: Streets in any residential zone. Loading exception: Allowed while actively loading, unloading, or servicing. Fine: $50.00 (SRC 102.135(a)(2)(C)). Home storage allowed: 1 commercial vehicle per dwelling (SRC 510.005).

Parking an oversized vehicle or trailer combination in a residential zone in violation of SRC 102.040(g) is charged as Prohibited Parking under SRC 102.135(a)(2)(C), a $50.00 infraction. Each day the vehicle remains constitutes a separate violation, and an enforcement officer may also have it towed under SRC 102.155(a)(1) if it presents a traffic or safety hazard.

Driveway Rules

Salem only allows front-yard parking within a garage, carport, or a driveway leading to one, and every driveway or parking area must be paved with a hard surface material. SRC 806.025 sets these standards for houses, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes, closing off gravel or grass front-yard parking outside a narrow circular-driveway exception.

Key details: Front-yard parking allowed only: Garage, carport, or driveway leading to one. Surfacing: Hard surface material required, paved. Driveway width: 10-22 ft depending on spaces served. Garage entrance setback: 20 ft from street or accessway. Unpaved exception: Partitions 300+ ft from sewer only.

Parking on an unpaved front yard or a driveway that hasn't been surfaced with a hard material violates SRC 806.025 and SRC 806.030 and is handled through Salem's standard code enforcement track: an enforcement order under SRC chapter 20J first gives the property owner time to correct the surface or relocate the parking, and a civil penalty of up to $2,000 per day can follow for violations that go uncorrected, are repeated, or are knowing and intentional.

Overnight Parking

Salem prohibits parking a motorized recreational vehicle over 20 feet long or 8 feet wide on a residential street between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., under Salem Revised Code section 102.040(h). The rule applies regardless of whether the RV is occupied, and violators are cited as Prohibited Parking with a $50.00 fine.

Key details: Curfew hours: 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.. Size trigger: Over 20 ft. long or 8 ft. wide. Where barred: Streets in any residential zone (SRC 102.040(h)). Fine: $50.00 (SRC 102.135(a)(2)(C)). Separate 5-day rule: No vehicle in one spot over 5 days (SRC 102.040(j)).

Parking a motorized recreational vehicle over 20 feet long or 8 feet wide on a residential street between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. violates SRC 102.040(h) and is charged as Prohibited Parking under SRC 102.135(a)(2)(C), a $50.00 infraction. The same vehicle left in one spot more than five continuous days is a separate violation under SRC 102.040(j).

Loading Zones

A Salem loading zone is reserved curb space for loading or unloading passengers or cargo, and Salem Revised Code section 102.005 caps its use at 30 minutes. Parking longer draws a $30.00 overtime fine under SRC 102.135, and the same 30-minute cap applies to loading in an alley, which is otherwise off-limits to parking entirely.

Key details: Loading zone time limit: 30 minutes (SRC 102.005). Alley loading limit: 30 minutes, no other alley parking (SRC 102.040(e)). Overtime fine: $30.00 (SRC 102.135(a)(2)(E)). Zones set by: Director's administrative order (SRC 102.020). Payment deadline: 14 days, then $10.00 late fee.

Overstaying the 30-minute limit is charged as Loading Zone Over-Time under SRC 102.135(a)(2)(E), a $30.00 infraction. If the same vehicle also blocks the zone in violation of posted signage, it can additionally be cited $50.00 under SRC 102.040(d) for violating a parking control device. Unpaid fines add a $10.00 late charge after 14 days under SRC 102.140(b).

EV Charging

New Salem buildings with five or more dwelling units must wire at least 40 percent of their off-street parking spaces for electric vehicle charging. SRC 806.035(d) requires that share of spaces to include the electrical service capacity defined under Oregon's building code, ORS 455.417, whether the building is fully residential or mixes housing with commercial use.

Key details: Trigger: New buildings with 5+ dwelling units. Required EV-capable share: 40% of off-street parking spaces. Electrical standard referenced: ORS 455.417 service capacity. Applies to mixed-use: Yes, residential plus nonresidential buildings. Max civil penalty: $2,000 per day if violated post-approval.

A newly constructed qualifying building that fails to designate the required 40 percent EV-capable parking share does not meet the approval criteria for site plan review under SRC chapter 220, so the missing infrastructure is typically caught and corrected before a certificate of occupancy issues. If EV charging capacity is removed or the parking is altered after approval without meeting SRC 806.035(d), it becomes an enforceable UDC violation carrying Salem's standard civil penalty of up to $2,000 per day under SRC chapter 20J.

Street Parking Limits

Salem requires a legally parked vehicle to be set with its brakes on, engine off, and wheels turned toward the curb on a grade, and to sit parallel within 12 inches of the curb facing the direction of traffic, under Salem Revised Code section 102.035. SRC 102.040 separately bars parking at curbs painted yellow or red, in a landscape strip, or contrary to any posted sign, each a $50.00 infraction.

Key details: Parallel parking gap: No more than 12 in. from curb (SRC 102.035(b)). Method of Parking fine: $25.00 (SRC 102.135(a)(2)(B)). Yellow/red curb ban: $50.00 fine (SRC 102.040(b)). Landscape strip ban: $50.00 fine (SRC 102.040(c)). Sign/marking violation: $50.00 fine (SRC 102.040(d)).

A vehicle parked against the direction of traffic, more than 12 inches from the curb, or without its brakes set violates the Method of Parking rule in SRC 102.035, a $25.00 infraction. Parking at a yellow or red curb, in a landscape strip, or against a posted sign under SRC 102.040 is Prohibited Parking, a separate $50.00 infraction under SRC 102.135.

RV & Boat Parking

Salem bars using a recreational vehicle as temporary or permanent housing outside a licensed tourist park unless the stay is capped at 72 hours in any 30-day period, the RV isn't on private property between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. without the owner's consent, and no occupant sleeps in it while parked on a public street.

Key details: Habitation cap: 72 hours per 30-day period (SRC 30.655(b)(1)). Private property overnight: Owner consent required, 10 p.m.-7 a.m. (SRC 30.655(b)(3)). Public street rule: No sleeping occupants allowed (SRC 30.655(b)(4)). Longer stays: Director-issued license required (SRC 30.655(c)). Violation class: Infraction (SRC 30.655(d)).

Using an RV as habitation outside a tourist park beyond the 72-hour/30-day limit, without owner consent for overnight parking, or with an occupant asleep on a public street is an infraction under SRC 30.655(d). Running a utility line across a public right-of-way to a parked RV is a separate infraction under SRC 30.660.

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

The Bottom Line

Salem is tougher than many cities when it comes to parking rules. Out of the 9 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Salem, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that Salem 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.