Parking Rules in Bristol, CT (2026)
7 verified parking rules for Bristol, Connecticut, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
RV & Boat Parking
Recreational vehicles like motor homes, campers and boat trailers can only sit on a City of Bristol, Connecticut public roadway for up to eighteen hours while actively loading or unloading, or forty-eight hours if disabled by mechanical failure. Bristol Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-71 sets the same forty-eight-hour cap for heavy commercial vehicles and buses stranded by breakdown or emergency.
Bristol RV And Boat Trailer Parking
Some RestrictionsBristol Code of Ordinances § 14-71(a), (c)
(a)A person must not park any recreational vehicle on any public roadway except:(1)For up to eighteen (18) hours while engaged in loading or unloading passengers, merchandise or materials; or(2)For up to forty-eight (48) hours if the vehicle is involuntarily parked because of mechanical failure or other emergency. ... Recreational vehicle: A duly licensed and registered vehicle, with or without...
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Most commercial trucks cannot sit outdoors overnight in a residential zone in the City of Bristol, Connecticut. Bristol Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-70 bars unregistered commercial vehicles from residential streets and yards outright, allows a construction vehicle up to ten days on an active building-permit job, and limits one registered truck under 10,000 pounds to a fully enclosed structure or a compliant outdoor spot.
Bristol Commercial Vehicle Parking Rules
Significant RestrictionsBristol Code of Ordinances § 14-70(a), (c), (d)
(a)No registered or unregistered commercial motor vehicle, and no unregistered noncommercial motor vehicle, shall be parked or stored outdoors in a residential zone unless it complies with one of the exceptions permitted in this section. ... (c)Parking or storage of unregistered but operational commercial motor vehicles shall be permitted in a residential zone for a period of up to ten (10) con...
Street Parking Limits
In the City of Bristol, Connecticut, a parked car must sit parallel to the curb, headed the right way with traffic, and within twelve inches of the edge of the roadway. Bristol Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-30 also bars stopping in front of a driveway, on a sidewalk, or near a hydrant, crosswalk or intersection, with fines running twenty to twenty-five dollars.
Bristol On-Street Parking Restrictions
Some RestrictionsBristol Code of Ordinances §§ 14-29, 14-30(2), 14-47(7), 14-48(5)
No person shall stand or park a vehicle in a roadway other than parallel with the edge of the roadway headed in the direction of lawful traffic movement and with the right-hand wheels of the vehicle within twelve (12) inches of the curb or edge of the roadway. ... No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with law ...
Abandoned Vehicles
In the City of Bristol, Connecticut, owners must keep the exterior of their property free of abandoned vehicles under City Code §§ 5-48 and 5-52(a). An abandoned vehicle is any unlicensed, inoperable car, truck, boat, trailer or similar equipment showing two or more signs of disrepair, unless the lot is a licensed junkyard.
Bristol Bans Abandoned Vehicles on Property
Some RestrictionsBristol Code of Ordinances §§ 5-48, 5-52(a)
Abandoned vehicle. Any unlicensed, inoperable car, truck, aircraft, camper, motorcycle or moped, recreational vehicle (e.g. golf cart, snowmobile, water sled, all-terrain vehicle, etc.) boat or other watercraft, tractor, cart, trailer, riding mower, or farming or construction equipment whether self-propelled or towed. It shall be a defense that the vehicle is not abandoned if it is currently re...
Loading Zones
In the City of Bristol, Connecticut, a vehicle parked in a marked loading zone may stop only long enough to load or unload materials, and that stop can never exceed thirty minutes. Bristol Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-36 reserves these curb spaces for expeditious pickup and delivery; parking there for any other purpose, or beyond the half-hour cap, draws a twenty-dollar fine under Sec. 14-47.
Bristol Loading Zone Parking Time Limit
Some RestrictionsBristol Code of Ordinances §§ 14-36, 14-47(5)
No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle for any purpose or length of time other than for the expeditious unloading and delivery or pickup and loading of materials in any place marked as a loading zone. In no case shall the stop for loading and unloading of materials exceed thirty (30) minutes. ... Unless otherwise authorized in specific situations by the traffic or parking authority the f...
Preferential Parking Districts
Residents of a City of Bristol, Connecticut street can petition the board of police commissioners to create a Restricted Residential Parking Zone that reserves on-street spaces for neighborhood permit holders. Bristol Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-52 requires signatures from at least sixty-five percent of eligible addresses, and Sec. 14-55 fines violators twenty-five dollars.
Bristol Restricted Residential Parking Zones
Significant RestrictionsBristol Code of Ordinances §§ 14-52(a), (c), 14-55(a)
(a)Pursuant to the powers under Section 7-148(c) of the Connecticut General Statutes permitting the regulation and prohibition of on-street residential neighborhood parking areas in which on-street parking is limited to residents of a given neighborhood the ordinance from which this section derives, which shall be known as the restricted residential parking zone (RRPZ) ordinance, is hereby enac...
Snow Removal Parking Rules
When a storm hits the City of Bristol, Connecticut, the mayor, police chief or director of public works can declare an emergency and ban parking on any city street until the roads are cleared. Bristol Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-39 also lets the city tow vehicles left on the street during the ban, and Sec. 14-49 fines violators thirty-five dollars.
Bristol Snow Emergency Parking Ban
Significant RestrictionsBristol Code of Ordinances §§ 14-39, 14-49(3)
(a)The city shall be allowed to tow away vehicles and to restrict parking during severe storms and other emergencies.(b)The mayor or chief of police or director of public works is granted the power to declare an emergency and prohibit any and all parking on any street in the city during and for the period following a severe storm or other emergency until such time as the emergency is past and r...