West Jordan's Parking Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles parking rules a little differently. In West Jordan, Utah, there are 9 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.

Overnight Parking

West Jordan Code section 7-3-6 bars leaving any vehicle on a public street for more than 72 straight hours. A parking enforcement official or police officer can cite, tow, or impound a vehicle left that long, and the registered owner is strictly liable for the ticket regardless of who was driving.

Key details: Time limit: 72 consecutive hours on any street. Citation: West Jordan City Code § 7-3-6(A)(13). Enforcement: Police officers and parking enforcement officials. Liability: Registered owner, strictly liable. Boot trigger: 4+ unpaid citations under Utah Code § 41-6a-1409.

A vehicle left on a West Jordan street past 72 hours can be cited, booted, towed, or impounded. Citations run through the Title 16 administrative civil citation process or, if prosecuted criminally, as a misdemeanor; fines follow the city's comprehensive fee schedule rather than a flat statutory amount. Registered owners are strictly liable even if someone else parked the car, and four or more unpaid parking tickets alone can trigger immobilization under Utah Code section 41-6a-1409.

Abandoned Vehicles

West Jordan City Code prohibits parking, storing, or leaving any wrecked, junked, partially dismantled, inoperative, or abandoned motor vehicle on private or public property for more than 72 hours. Section 13-8-2 declares the accumulation a nuisance and puts the removal duty on the property owner, lessee, or possessor, not just the vehicle's registered owner.

Key details: Time limit: 72 hours maximum for wrecked or inoperable vehicles. Governing section: West Jordan City Code § 13-8-2. Applies to: Vehicles and vehicle parts, private or public property. Building exception: Storage inside a completely enclosed building allowed. Wrecking yards: Licensed auto wrecking/repair yards exempt if screened and fenced.

A section 13-8-2 violation is treated as a general code offense: section 1-14B-1 makes any West Jordan Code violation without its own stated penalty a Class B misdemeanor, unless state law directs otherwise, with fines up to five thousand dollars per Class B misdemeanor conviction for a corporation or association. Because the accumulation is also declared a nuisance, the city can additionally order abatement and removal of the vehicle or parts, with the removal duty falling on the owner, lessee, or property possessor.

EV Charging

West Jordan requires a 220-volt electric vehicle charging station in every parking structure built for mixed-use, multi-family, or townhome development inside the Interchange Overlay Zone (IOZ) near the Mountain View Corridor and Bangerter Highway. Developers who install an EV charging station can count that parking space toward the project's minimum required parking, trimming the total stalls a structure must provide.

Key details: Applicable zone: Interchange Overlay Zone (IOZ), Mountain View Corridor / Bangerter Highway. Charging mandate: One 220-volt EV charging station per parking structure. Parking incentive: EV charging space counts toward required parking total. Governing section: City Code § 13-6K-5-1(E)(6). Enforcing office: Community Development Director or designee, § 13-6K-6(A).

Title 13 violations, including a parking structure built without the required 220-volt charging station, are enforced under the citywide zoning penalty in section 13-4-11: each day a property is out of compliance is a separate Class C misdemeanor, prosecutable administratively under title 16 or criminally in court. Section 13-4-5 also makes it a violation to build or use a structure without required permits and approvals, and section 13-4-6 declares any title 13 violation a public nuisance.

Loading Zones

West Jordan requires dedicated off-street loading berths for any building over 25,000 square feet of gross floor area used for retail, office, industrial, hospital, or non-self-service warehousing. City Code section 13-12-3(F) sets a sliding berth count tied to building size, and City Center zone buildings face an added siting rule under section 13-5I-9(E) keeping loading doors off public rights of way.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 13-12-3(F). Trigger: Buildings over 25,000 sq ft GFA. Minimum berths: 1 berth up to 40,000 sq ft. Top of scale: 6 berths at 320,001-400,000 sq ft. Beyond 400,000 sq ft: +1 berth per 90,000 sq ft.

Occupying or using a building without an approved certificate of occupancy and zoning compliance, issued after final inspection confirms the site plan (including required loading berths) matches what was approved, is unlawful under section 13-1-9(A). The city administrator or a designee can deny or revoke the certificate until the loading area is corrected, and any site plan change that removes a required berth must go back through planning commission review first.

Driveway Rules

West Jordan requires vehicles and construction equipment parked in residential zones to sit on an approved hard surface: asphalt, concrete, grasscrete, pavers, or gravel mix at least three-fourths of an inch, laid at least four inches deep. Section 13-8-14(A) also requires the vehicle to be operable for its intended purpose.

Key details: Approved surfaces: Asphalt, concrete, grasscrete, pavers, gravel mix, rock, stone. Minimum gravel depth: 4 inches for gravel, crushed rock, or stone. Minimum gravel size: 3/4-inch gravel mix or larger. Applies to: Vehicle classes 1-5 and construction equipment. Operability: Vehicle must be operable for its intended purpose.

Parking on an unapproved surface, such as bare dirt, grass, or mud, or parking an inoperable vehicle outside the exceptions in section 13-8-14, is a Code violation subject to the general penalty in section 1-14B-1: a Class B misdemeanor when no other penalty is specified, with fines up to $5,000 per conviction for a corporation. The city can require the vehicle relocated or the surface upgraded to a listed material before the violation is resolved.

Snow Removal Parking Rules

West Jordan City Code section 7-3-11 bars parking any vehicle or semitrailer on the street during a snow event and bars parking anywhere it would obstruct a plow or emergency vehicle. A car left snowbound more than 48 consecutive hours after a plow works around it is deemed abandoned and subject to removal and impoundment.

Key details: Snow-event rule: No street parking during an active snow event. Snowbound clock: 48 consecutive hours before deemed abandoned. Emergency access: No obstruction of emergency response vehicles. Consequence: Citation, removal, and impoundment. Citation: West Jordan City Code § 7-3-11.

Leaving a vehicle on the street during an active snow event, blocking a plow or emergency vehicle, or letting a snowbound vehicle sit more than 48 consecutive hours can all result in citation, towing, and impoundment under section 7-3-11. Vehicles that force a plow to drive around them are treated as abandoned regardless of how long they have actually been parked.

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

Street Parking Limits

West Jordan City Code section 7-3-5 tells drivers exactly how to sit at the curb: right-hand wheels within 12 inches on a two-way street, wheels within 12 inches of the curb in the direction of travel on a one-way street, and brakes set with wheels turned toward the curb on any grade. Section 7-3-6 separately bars parking in front of a driveway.

Key details: Curb distance: Within 12 inches of the curb. Wrong-way parking: Right-hand wheels required on two-way streets. Driveway rule: No standing in front of driveways. Grade rule: Brakes set, wheels turned to curb. Citation: West Jordan City Code §§ 7-3-5, 7-3-6.

Parking against the flow of traffic, more than 12 inches from the curb, or in front of a driveway is a citable offense under sections 7-3-5 and 7-3-6. A law enforcement officer or parking enforcement official can immobilize, move, or impound the vehicle, and the case proceeds either as a Title 16 civil citation with a fee-schedule fine or as a criminal citation.

RV & Boat Parking

West Jordan City Code section 13-8-14(C) lets residents park a boat, trailer, camper, RV, or motor home in a residential zone only in the rear or side yard, or extending into the front yard no closer than three feet from the sidewalk edge, ten feet from the front property line where there is no sidewalk. Guests may occupy it at most 21 days a year.

Key details: Allowed area: Rear or side yard; limited front-yard overhang. Sidewalk setback: 3 feet from sidewalk edge. No-sidewalk setback: 10 feet from front property line. Guest occupancy cap: 21 calendar days per year. Surface requirement: Paved or 4-inch gravel minimum.

Parking an RV, boat, or trailer on the street, or placing one in a front yard closer than three feet to the sidewalk, ten feet to the property line with no sidewalk, or on an unapproved surface, is a code violation the city can enforce as a zoning citation. Code enforcement can require relocation or removal, and a non-operable unit loses the yard-parking exception entirely.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

West Jordan prohibits parking classes 6 through 13 vehicles, semitrucks, box trucks, and heavy equipment, in residential zones. Section 13-8-14(B) allows only a semitruck tractor parked on the driver's own lot without blocking the sidewalk, or short-term parking during active construction capped at six months.

Key details: Default rule: Classes 6-13 vehicles barred from residential zones. Semitruck exception: Tractor only, driver-occupied, within lot, sidewalk clear. Construction exception: Active construction only, capped at 6 months. Governing section: West Jordan City Code § 13-8-14(B). Vehicle classes covered: Classes 6 through 13 per § 13-2-3.

Parking a class 6 through 13 vehicle in a residential zone outside the semitruck-tractor or active-construction exceptions violates section 13-8-14(B) and is prosecuted as a general Code violation. Section 1-14B-1 sets the default punishment at a Class B misdemeanor when the Code does not specify another penalty, with corporate fines up to $5,000 per conviction, and the city can order the vehicle removed from the property.

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

The Bottom Line

West Jordan 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 West Jordan, 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 West Jordan 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.