How Salt Lake City Handles Parking Rules: A Practical Guide

Salt Lake City maintains 165 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 Salt Lake City falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Preferential Parking Districts

Salt Lake City designates preferential parking permit areas near commuter magnets like hospitals and university complexes, exempting resident and business vehicles from parking limits that apply to outside commuters.

Key details: Governing chapter: City Code ch. 12.64. Occupancy threshold: 70% of curb space occupied. Commuter share threshold: 25%+ non-area vehicles. Parking violation fine: up to $100. Permit misuse penalty: class B misdemeanor.

Parking without a valid permit in a designated area is punishable by a fine up to $100. Lying on a permit application or displaying a permit on the wrong vehicle is a class B misdemeanor; misusing a valid permit on another vehicle draws a fine up to $50, and counterfeiting a permit is also a class B misdemeanor.

Curb Color Rules

Salt Lake City Code § 12.56.310 makes a red curb a ban on stopping, standing, and parking at any time, and it gives the city transportation engineer the job of placing and maintaining those markings.

Key details: Rule: Red means no stopping, standing or parking at any time. Authority: City transportation engineer. Governing section: Salt Lake City Code § 12.56.310. Enforcement: Citation plus possible tow. Common use: Ambulance bays, fire hydrant zones, fire lanes.

Citation for stopping, standing, or parking against a red curb; vehicle may be towed to a storage facility.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Salt Lake City actively enforces its curb color rules requirements.

Overnight Parking

Salt Lake City enforces street parking hours through signs: under § 12.56.470, no one can park or leave a vehicle standing during the hours and days shown on city signs or markings, and the listed penalty is $49.00. Separately, § 12.56.520 bars leaving a vehicle, boat, trailer or other item on a street longer than forty eight (48) hours.

Key details: Posted-hours penalty: $49.00 civil penalty under § 12.56.550. Hours rule: Set by city signs and markings, not by a fixed clock time. Street storage cap: Forty eight (48) hours for a vehicle, boat, trailer or other item. 48-hour penalty: $42.00 civil penalty for § 12.56.520 and § 12.56.525. Reparking trap: Move and reparked on same block face within twenty four (24) hours counts as continuous.

A violation of § 12.56.470 is listed at $49.00 in the civil penalty table of § 12.56.550, and each violation of a posted limit is a separate offense. A 25% late fee is added to a penalty unpaid thirty (30) days after receipt of notice. A vehicle moved at the City's expense triggers the vehicle relocation fee in the consolidated fee schedule (§ 12.56.540). Citations can be appealed under Chapter 2.75.

EV Charging

Salt Lake City requires every multi-family development to dedicate one parking space to electric vehicles for every twenty-five parking spaces provided on-site, plus 20% EV-ready spaces wired for a future charger. Section 21A.44.040(C) also fixes where those spaces sit and how they are signed, and overstays at city chargers carry a $79.00 civil penalty.

Key details: Multi-family EV spaces: One dedicated space per twenty-five parking spaces provided on-site. EV-ready spaces: Minimum 20% of parking spaces provided on-site. EV-ready wiring: Conduit and capacity for a minimum 200-volt charging station. Small parking areas: Four or fewer spaces need not identify an EV-ready space. Gas stations: One EV space per ten required on-site spaces (§ 21A.36.120).

Section 21A.44.040(C) is a site design standard and prints no penalty of its own; the EV-ready locations have to appear on the site plans submitted for review. Overstaying the time limit at a city-operated charging station under § 12.56.205(B) draws a civil penalty under § 12.56.550, listed at $79.00. A 25% late fee is added to any penalty unpaid thirty (30) days after receipt of notice, and a citation can be appealed under Chapter 2.75 as § 12.56.570 provides.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Salt Lake City bars parking restricted vehicles, over 45 feet long, wider than 8 feet loaded, or 36,000+ pounds, on any street, including residential blocks, except while loading or on designated truck routes.

Key details: Governing section: § 12.56.465, Salt Lake City Code. Length trigger: Over 45 feet long. Weight trigger: 36,000+ pounds gross. Civil penalty: $127.00 per citation. Loading exception: Briefly allowed to load or unload.

Parking a restricted vehicle on a Salt Lake City street outside the loading exception or a truck route draws a $127.00 civil penalty, plus a 25% late fee if unpaid after 30 days.

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

Loading Zones

Commercial vehicles need a city freight license parking permit to stop in freight curb loading zones, and stops are capped at 30 minutes for actual loading or unloading.

Key details: Permit required: Freight license parking permit. Max stop time: 30 minutes. Return restriction: 30 min before reusing same zone. Issuing office: City business licensing section. Permit term: Annual, nontransferable.

Stopping in a freight curb loading zone without a valid freight license parking permit, exceeding the 30-minute limit, or returning within 30 minutes of departing violates § 12.56.330 and is subject to parking citation and towing under the city's traffic code.

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

Abandoned Vehicles

Salt Lake City tows any vehicle left on a public street for more than 48 hours without being moved, and impounds it as a declared nuisance under the city's traffic code.

Key details: Street trigger: 48 hrs unmoved = nuisance. Enforcement: Police or parking officer tow. Private property: Junk/abandoned vehicles banned. Appeal window: 5 business days after release. Unclaimed vehicles: Sold at public auction.

Misdemeanor charge plus towing, storage, and (for immobilized vehicles) booting fees set by the city's consolidated fee schedule; unclaimed vehicles are sold at public auction.

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

Street Parking Limits

Salt Lake City bars parking within five feet of any driveway and requires vehicles on two-way streets to park facing the direction of traffic within twelve inches of the curb, each backed by its own civil fine.

Key details: Driveway buffer: 5 feet minimum, both directions. Driveway-block fine: $100.00 civil penalty. Wrong-direction fine: $42.00 civil penalty. Curb standard: Right wheels within 12 inches. Governing chapter: City Code Title 12, Ch. 12.56.

Blocking a driveway draws a $100.00 civil citation under § 12.56.440; parking against traffic direction or more than 12 inches from the curb draws a $42.00 citation under § 12.56.100.

RV & Boat Parking

Salt Lake City caps outdoor RV parking at one motor home or travel trailer plus a total of two recreational vehicles per residence, and bans front or corner side yard parking entirely.

Key details: Outdoor RV limit: 1 motor home/trailer + 2 RVs total. Front/corner side yard: Prohibited outright. Rear yard: Requires hard-surfaced pad. Occupied as dwelling: Not allowed while parked.

Zoning enforcement can order noncompliant RV parking removed or relocated; unpermitted front/corner side yard parking or unsecured tie-downs are code violations subject to city zoning enforcement action.

Driveway Rules

Salt Lake City zoning bars parking stalls in a required front or corner side yard, but a compliant driveway in the FR, R1, R2, or SR-1A districts can still hold a vehicle without counting toward off-street parking requirements.

Key details: Front/corner side yard stalls: Prohibited outside driveways. Driveway parking zones: FR, R1, R2, SR-1A districts. Front-yard pad limit: 10 ft wide, 20 ft deep max. Modification authority: Planning director, § 21A.44.090. Violation penalty: Class B misdemeanor, up to $1,000.

Parking a vehicle in a required front or corner side yard without qualifying under these driveway or § 21A.44.090 exceptions is a code violation. Salt Lake City Code § 1.12.050 makes ordinance violations a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail.

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

The Bottom Line

Salt Lake City is tougher than many cities when it comes to parking rules. Out of the 10 rules covered here, 5 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Salt Lake City, 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 Salt Lake City can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, which shows when its source was last checked.