Somerville's Parking Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles parking rules a little differently. In Somerville, Massachusetts, there are 10 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.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Commercial vehicles over 2.5 tons cannot park overnight on Somerville residential streets. Loading zones are time-limited and signed by block.

Key details: Weight limit: 2.5 tons residential overnight ban. Loading zones: 15 to 30 minutes posted. Idling: 5 minute state limit. Dealer plates: Treated as commercial. Enforcement: Parking Control Officers.

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

Abandoned Vehicles

Under MGL c.90 s.22D and city rules, Somerville can tow vehicles left unmoved more than 72 hours, or any unregistered or uninspected vehicle.

Key details: State law: MGL c.90 s.22D. Time trigger: 72 hours unmoved. Unregistered: Immediate tow eligible. Private property: Trespass tow procedure. Unclaimed auction: After 45 days.

RV & Boat Parking

Somerville allows only one recreational vehicle, boat, or utility trailer stored outside per dwelling lot, and it must sit behind the front-most dwelling's facade and be screened from the street and neighbors by solid fencing at least six feet tall.

Key details: Storage limit: One RV, boat, or trailer per lot. Setback: Behind front-most dwelling's facade. Screening: Solid fence, minimum 6 feet tall. Occupancy: Cannot be lived in or used for business. Last amended: Ord. No. 2010-10, effective 11/9/2010.

Anyone who violates the storage limit, setback, or screening requirement is fined under Sec. 1-11(b), with each day of the violation counted as a separate offense by a firm, person, or corporation (Sec. 9-57(e)). Inspectional services or the police department can cite the property owner directly, and a second recreational vehicle or trailer stored on the same lot is itself a violation, independent of any screening deficiency.

Loading Zones

A vehicle actively loading or unloading in a marked Somerville service zone can stay up to 30 minutes under Traffic Commission Regulations Section 5-2. Passenger cars get 5 minutes for drop-off, commercial vehicles get 20 minutes to load freight, and Davis Square zones are reserved for delivery vehicles only.

Key details: General loading limit: 30 minutes, while actively loading/unloading. Passenger vehicle limit: 5 continuous minutes. Commercial vehicle limit: 20 continuous minutes. Davis Square zones: delivery vehicles only. Fine: $50.00 per Section 11-2.

Overstaying a marked loading or service zone carries a $50.00 fine under Article XI, Section 11-2 of the Traffic Commission Regulations, enforced under General Laws Chapter 90, Section 20A½. If the driver can't be identified, the vehicle's registered owner is held prima facie responsible under Section 11-1, and zones posted 'Tow Zone' expose an offending vehicle to towing on top of the fine.

Driveway Rules

Somerville's zoning ordinance requires driveways to be paved with permeable materials like paving stones, grass pavers, pervious concrete or porous asphalt, bars driveways from the frontage area between a building and the front lot line, and caps width at 12 feet. New driveways also need a City Engineer permit under Code of Ordinances § 11-88.

Key details: Max driveway width: 12 feet. Required paving: Pervious materials or engineer waiver. Frontage restriction: No driveway in front-lot-line frontage. Contractor bond minimum: $2,500. Permit authority: City Engineer.

Penalties for violating the driveway and paving regulations are set under Code of Ordinances § 1-11(b). A paving contractor who fails to meet the bonding or permit requirements of § 11-88 can be denied further permits until the violation is corrected, and repeat violations can cost the contractor their registration for a full year.

Curb Color Rules

Only curb paint authorized by Somerville's Traffic Commission and approved in writing by the Massachusetts Highway Department counts as an official curb marking, under Traffic Commission Regulations Section 1-4. Section 3-5 makes it unlawful to place any unofficial curb marking that imitates or resembles an official one, and the Police Chief or Traffic Director can remove it without notice.

Key details: Who may authorize curb paint: Traffic Commission. Additional sign-off required: Mass. Highway Dept. approval. Unauthorized markings: removable without notice. Removal authority: Police Chief / Traffic Director.

Section 3-5 sets no dollar fine of its own; it authorizes the Chief of Police or the Director of Traffic and Parking to remove an unauthorized curb marking, or have it removed, immediately and without notice to the person who painted it. Interference with or defacement of a lawfully official curb marking is separately punished as defacing public property under Chapter 9, Article IV, Section 9-47 of the Code of Ordinances.

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

Street Parking Limits

Somerville bans parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, in front of any driveway plus two feet on each side, and requires vehicles to sit within 12 inches of the curb, under Traffic Commission Regulations Section 5-1. Blocking a driveway draws a $100 fine and parking more than a foot from the curb draws $50, per the Section 11-2 fine schedule.

Key details: Driveway no-park zone: 2 feet each side of driveway. Curb distance required: within 12 inches. Driveway-block fine: $100. Curb/wrong-way fine: $50 each. Enforcing agency: Somerville Police/Parking Control.

Section 11-2's fine schedule prices these violations individually: obstructing a driveway costs $100, and parking more than a foot from the curb or parking in the wrong direction on a one-way street each cost $50; parking on a crosswalk or within 20 feet of an intersection also carries a $50 fine. Somerville police and parking control officers issue the citations under General Laws Chapter 90, Section 20A1/2.

Snow Removal Parking Rules

When Somerville's DPW Commissioner declares a snow emergency, parking is banned citywide on the even-address side of streets in odd-numbered winters and the odd-address side in even-numbered winters, so plows have room. Violators can be towed under the ordinance's separate $100 snow-emergency fine schedule.

Key details: Who declares it: DPW Commissioner or Highways Superintendent. Odd-year winters: Even-address side banned. Even-year winters: Odd-address side banned. Snow-emergency tow fine: $100. Exempt vehicles: Commercial, loading/unloading only.

Any vehicle left on the banned side during a declared snow emergency is subject to towing and removal under Section 10-5 of the ordinance, at the owner's expense. The Traffic Commission's penalty schedule sets a specific $100 fine for a declared snow emergency tow-zone or plow-obstruction violation, on top of the standard $100 fines for parking within 10 feet of a hydrant or 20 feet of an intersection during the emergency.

Compared to other cities, Somerville takes a harder line on snow removal parking rules. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

EV Charging

Somerville's zoning ordinance does not mandate EV charging in ordinary parking lots citywide. It does require large master-planned developments in the Union Square Arts & Innovation Sub-Area to equip 25% of parking spaces with EV charging stations and make the remaining 75% EV-ready.

Key details: EV charging spaces required: 25% of motor vehicle parking spaces. EV-ready spaces required: Remaining 75% of parking spaces. Where it applies: Arts & Innovation Sub-Area master plans only. Minimum development size: 250,000 sq ft land area. Governing section: Zoning Ordinance Section 8.4.19(e)(iii).

There is no separate fine schedule tied to the EV charging split; it is a condition of the Master Plan Special Permit and Site Plan Approval for Arts & Innovation Sub-Area development. A project that does not meet the 25% charging and 75% EV-ready split cannot receive Special Permit or Site Plan approval from the review board, and the Building Official (Superintendent of Inspectional Services or designee) enforces compliance before permits and occupancy are issued.

Preferential Parking Districts

Somerville residents whose vehicle is registered and garaged in the city can get a residential parking permit plus two visitor passes, but no new permits go to addresses that got their first certificate of occupancy after January 15, 2020, unless a hardship waiver applies.

Key details: Eligibility: Vehicle registered and garaged in Somerville. Visitor passes per permit: Up to 2, 2 days/week max. New-building cutoff: First occupancy before Jan. 15, 2020. Waiver grounds: Disability, affordable unit, hardship. Street petition threshold: 51% of residents.

Guest permits used by a resident's own vehicle, rather than an actual visitor's, are revoked for one year for that resident and everyone else in the household, at the Traffic Commission's discretion. Parking without a valid permit in a permit-restricted zone is a Permit Parking violation carrying a $50 fine under the Traffic Commission's penalty schedule, in addition to any towing exposure if the vehicle also sits in a posted tow zone.

The Bottom Line

Somerville is tougher than many cities when it comes to parking rules. Out of the 10 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Somerville, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Somerville's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.