Parking Rules in Boulder, CO (2026)
9 verified parking rules for Boulder, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
RV & Boat Parking
Boulder lets homeowners store travel trailers, boats and boat trailers, motorized dwellings, and similar recreational equipment in residential yards, but Section 9-9-6(f), B.R.C. 1981, sets conditions: the equipment must sit at least 18 inches from any sidewalk, stay clear of corner sight triangles, be tied down against wind, and never be used as a dwelling or business outside an approved park.
Boulder's Residential RV and Boat Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 9-9-6(f)
(f)Parking and Storage of Recreational Vehicles: No person shall park, store, or use a travel trailer, tent trailer, pickup camper or coach, motorized dwelling, boat and boat trailer, snow vehicle, cycle trailer, utility trailer and van, horse trailer or van, or similar vehicular equipment in a residential district unless the following requirements are met:(1)Such vehicular equipment is stored ...
Driveway Rules
Boulder bars parking in a required landscaped setback abutting a street. Homes in the RR, RE, RL, A, or P districts get one exception: up to two vehicles may sit in a driveway inside that setback if it once served a code-compliant parking space outside the setback.
Boulder Front-Yard Setback Driveway Parking Rule
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 9-9-6(d)(1)(A)
No parking areas shall be located in any required landscaped setback abutting a street. However, in the RR, RE, RL, A, or P zoning districts, if an existing driveway serves or formerly served as access to at least one parking space that meets the design requirements of this title and that is located outside of the landscaped setback, up to two vehicles may be parked in the driveway within the l...
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Boulder prohibits parking a commercial vehicle on any street in every residential zone, from RR-1 through RH-7, MH, P, and A, for more than 30 minutes between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. Boulder Revised Code Section 7-6-24(a) sets escalating fines: $40 for a first violation, $50 for a second, and $60 for a third or later violation by the same vehicle or owner.
Boulder's Overnight Commercial Vehicle Parking Ban
Significant RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 7-6-24(a)
(a)No commercial vehicle shall be parked on any street in any district of the city zoned RR-1, RR-2, RE, RL-1, RL-2, RM-1, RM-2, RM-3, RMX-1, RMX-2, RH-1, RH-2, RH-3, RH-4, RH-5, RH-6, RH-7, MH, P, or A for more than thirty minutes between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. The penalty for a first violation of this section is $40. The penalty for a second violation of this section by the same vehicle or the sam...
Street Parking Limits
Boulder Revised Code Sections 7-6-8 and 7-6-13 require vehicles to park facing the direction of travel on the near curb and ban parking within five feet of any driveway. A first violation of either rule costs $60, rising to $90 and then $120 for repeat offenses within a year.
Boulder On-Street Parking and Driveway Rules
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code §§ 7-6-8, 7-6-13(b)(1)
7-6-8. - Parked on Wrong Side of Street. On a two-way street vehicles shall be parked on the right-hand side of the street facing in the direction of travel. On a one-way street vehicles shall be parked facing in the direction of travel....7-6-13. - Stopping or Parking Prohibited in Specified Places. (b)No vehicle may be parked:(1)On a roadway in or within five feet of a public or private drive...
Overnight Parking
Boulder bars leaving any vehicle parked on a city street for more than 72 hours without moving it, whether the purpose is overnight storage or something else. Under Section 7-6-20, B.R.C. 1981, odometer evidence showing less than two-tenths of a mile of movement over that period is enough to prove the violation, and each offense carries an escalating fine.
Boulder's 72-Hour Street Parking Limit
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 7-6-20
(a)No vehicle shall be parked upon any street for more than seventy-two hours without being moved or for the principal purpose of storage for more than seventy-two hours.(b)Proof that the vehicle's odometer shows movement of no more than two-tenths of a mile during a period of at least seventy-two hours shall constitute prima facie evidence of violation of this section.
EV Charging
Boulder reserves parking spaces marked for electric vehicle charging, on both public and private property, exclusively for plug-in electric vehicles. Section 7-6-30, B.R.C. 1981, also caps how long a vehicle can occupy a signed charging space once a time limit is posted, and treats a state-issued plug-in decal as presumptive proof the vehicle qualifies.
Boulder's EV Charging Space Parking Rule
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 7-6-30
(a)No vehicle shall be parked in a space designated for charging any electric vehicle by any sign or pavement marking using the term "electric vehicle charging," or otherwise reasonably indicating designation for electric vehicle charging, unless the vehicle is a plug-in electric vehicle.(b)This section applies to all spaces designated for electric vehicle charging on public property and on pri...
Abandoned Vehicles
Boulder treats any vehicle left in one spot on public or private property for 24 hours past a posted limit, or 72 hours where unregulated, as an abandoned public nuisance, and any inoperable vehicle left without the property owner's consent the same way. Section 7-7-3, B.R.C. 1981, lets a peace officer tag it, and the city can impound and eventually sell it.
Boulder's Abandoned and Inoperable Vehicle Rule
Significant RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 7-7-3
(a)Any vehicle left in one location upon any public property or on any private property, without the consent of the property owner, for twenty-four hours or more than the time limited by any signs, payment apparatus or technology, or pavement markings that apply to that location, or for a continuous period of more than seventy-two hours at any otherwise unregulated location, constitutes an aban...
Loading Zones
Boulder Revised Code Section 7-6-21 caps loading zone parking at thirty minutes for freight and three minutes for passengers, unless a posted sign sets a shorter limit. Every alley in a BT, BC, BR, or industrial zoning district automatically counts as a loading zone.
Boulder Loading Zone Parking Time Limits
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 7-6-21
(a)No vehicle shall be parked in a loading zone for any purpose or period of time except:(1)In a passenger loading zone, for the visible loading or unloading of passengers for a period indicated by a traffic control sign; or(2)In any other loading zone, for the visible unloading and delivery or pick-up and loading of property for a period not in any case to exceed thirty minutes, or such shorte...
Preferential Parking Districts
Boulder designates neighborhood permit parking zones under Section 2-2-15 based on an annual Priority Based Neighborhood Access Management study; residents are limited to one permit each, businesses receive employee permits under a fixed formula, and commuter permits are capped at four per block face, with occupancy below twenty-five percent triggering an automatic cut.
Boulder Neighborhood Permit Parking Zones
Some RestrictionsSec. 2-2-15, "Neighborhood Permit Parking Zones," B.R.C. 1981
(a)Establishing a neighborhood permit parking zone on streets in certain areas zoned for residential uses will reduce hazardous traffic conditions, promote traffic safety, and preserve the safety of children and other pedestrians in those areas; protect those areas from polluted air, excessive noise, trash, and refuse; protect residents of those areas from unreasonable burdens in gaining access...
Looking for Boulder County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Boulder city rules.
Parking Rules in Boulder County →