Parking Rules in Detroit, MI (2026)
10 verified parking rules for Detroit, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
RV & Boat Parking
Detroit limits RVs, trailers and boats in residential yards to the garage or rear yard, caps counts, and sets a three-foot setback from side and rear lot lines.
Detroit RV, Trailer and Boat Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 50-14-283
Parking or storage of recreational vehicles or recreational equipment shall be allowed where located in a garage or in the rear yard, provided, that a recreational vehicle may be temporarily parked outside of the rear yard in the driveway for loading/unloading purposes for a period that is not to exceed 24 hours;(4)No recreational vehicle or recreational equipment shall be parked or stored clos...
Driveway Rules
Detroit limits residential off-street parking to garages, one approved side-yard driveway, or a paved rear-yard pad: parking on lawns or other unpaved areas is banned citywide in R1 and R2 zones.
Detroit Driveway and Yard Parking Surface Rules
Some RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 50-14-286(1)(c), (3)
On approved driveways as defined in Section 50-16-172 of this Code, in only one side yard and the continuation of that side yard into the front yard to the property line. There shall be not more than one driveway per residential dwelling unit... No parking shall be permitted on lawns or other unpaved areas on residential lots. The required parking area and access shall be paved with an asphalti...
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Detroit bans parking commercial vehicles, trailers, buses, motor homes, and recreational equipment on residential streets at any time under City Code § 46-4-19.
Detroit Commercial Vehicle Parking Ban
Significant RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 46-4-19
It shall be unlawful to park any commercial vehicle, bus, taxicab, trailer (coupled or not), pole trailer (coupled or not), semi-trailer (coupled or not), motor home, pickup camper, trailer coach (coupled or not), recreational equipment, or limousine on any residential street or service drive in the City at any time, including Sundays and holidays...
Street Parking Limits
Detroit requires vehicles parked on public streets to sit parallel to the curb, curb-side wheels within 12 inches, with the correct side of the car against the curb depending on street direction.
Detroit On-Street Parking Position Rules
Some RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 46-4-18(a)
Unless otherwise ordered by signs, vehicles shall stop, stand or be parked parallel to the curb, and shall be placed so that the right side of the vehicle shall be adjacent to the curb, and neither right wheel shall be more than 12 inches from the curb, provided, that on one-way streets, the left side of the vehicle when parked at the left curb, shall be adjacent to the curb, and neither left w...
Overnight Parking
Detroit bans parking on signed streets within a large no-parking zone bounded by the Detroit River and three freeways, plus dozens of individually listed streets, every night between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.
Detroit's 3–7 A.M. Overnight Parking Ban
Some RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 46-4-20
Upon the erection of signs sufficient to apprise the ordinarily observant person, it shall be unlawful to park a vehicle any day between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the same day on those sections or segments of the public highways or streets within an area bounded by the Detroit River, the Lodge Freeway (M-10), the Fisher Freeway (I-75) and the Chrysler Freeway (I-75), or on the fol...
Abandoned Vehicles
Detroit bans keeping, parking, or storing inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicles on any premises, including cars mid-disassembly or being stripped: a Property Maintenance Code blight violation that draws escalating civil fines starting at $50.
Detroit's Ban on Storing Inoperable Vehicles
Significant RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 8-15-110
Except as provided for in other provisions of the 2019 Detroit City Code, it shall be unlawful to keep, park, or store inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicles on any premises or property, including any motor vehicle which is in a state of major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled, provided, that an individual may perform mechanical work on one motor vehicl...
Loading Zones
Detroit bars vehicles from standing or parking in a marked loading zone except for the brief loading or unloading of passengers, or the reasonable time a commercial vehicle needs to load or unload freight.
Detroit Loading Zone Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 46-4-23
Except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or traffic-control device, no operator shall stop a vehicle for any purpose or length of time, other than for the expeditious loading or unloading of passengers, or stand a commercial vehicle for any purpose other than for the reasonable time to unload or load materials or merchan...
Preferential Parking Districts
Detroit residents can petition the City Clerk to designate their block as a residential parking permit area, requiring 60 percent signatures and City Council approval before permits are issued.
Detroit Residential Parking Permit District Rules
Some RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 46-2-13
(6)At least 70 percent of legal parking spaces are utilized during peak periods as determined by the parking surveys and studies, or both, prepared pursuant to Subsection (a) of this section;(7)At least 50 percent of the current parking spaces are utilized by non-residents for more than two hours;(8)At least 80 percent of occupied frontage, at ground level, has a legal use of residential;
Snow Removal Parking Rules
Parking on a designated snow emergency route in Detroit is automatically banned once 2+ inches of snow or ice accumulate between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., and the City can extend the ban further for plowing.
Detroit Snow Emergency Route Parking Ban
Significant RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 46-2-41
Whenever between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. snow or ice has accumulated to a depth of two inches or more on any part of a snow emergency route, a parking prohibition shall automatically go into effect on that part of the route one hour after such condition exists...
Towing & Impound Rights
Detroit prints no tow rates in its code. Chapter 46, Article II, Division 5, rewritten in full by Ordinance No. 2021-34 effective October 18, 2021, caps a police-authorized tower at the rates City Council adopts by resolution, routes those rates through a five-member Towing Rate Commission chaired by the Auditor General, and requires prompt release of a stored vehicle on proof of ownership and payment.
Detroit Police-Authorized Towing and Auto Pound Rules
Significant RestrictionsDetroit City Code §§ 46-2-91, 46-2-93
[Sec. 46-2-91] (a)A Towing Rate Commission shall be created, composed of the Auditor General as Chairperson, the Director of Buildings, Safety, Engineering, and Environmental Department or designated representative, the Chief of Police or designated representative, a representative of the public appointed by the Mayor, and a representative of the towing industry appointed by City Council. ... [...
Looking for Wayne County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Detroit city rules.
Parking Rules in Wayne County →