Parking Rules in Fort Collins, CO (2026)
11 verified parking rules for Fort Collins, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
RV & Boat Parking
Fort Collins bars parking an unsheltered RV, trailer or boat trailer in a residential yard unless it sits on an improved, bordered surface with direct garage access, or is screened behind a fence, wall or shrubs at least six feet tall. Municipal Code § 20-105 makes a non-conforming setup a nuisance, enforceable by citation.
Fort Collins RV and Trailer Yard Parking Rules
Significant RestrictionsFort Collins Municipal Code § 20-105(a)
(a)No person shall park or store, or knowingly permit to be parked or stored, any unsheltered motor vehicle, trailer or recreational vehicle other than one (1) motorcycle or moped in any yard of any residential lot for any purpose except the washing of such motor vehicle, trailer or recreational vehicle, unless such vehicle is owned by the owner or occupant of the residential lot and is parked:...
Driveway Rules
Fort Collins bans parking unsheltered vehicles, trailers or RVs in residential yards unless the surface is paved, gravel or bordered hardscape, or the vehicle sits behind a six-foot screen. Improved front-yard parking area is capped at 40 percent of the yard under Municipal Code Sec. 20-105 (Chapter 20, Article VIII, general code), enforced by code enforcement officers as a nuisance.
Fort Collins Front-Yard Parking Surface Cap
Some RestrictionsFort Collins Municipal Code Sec. 20-105
(a)No person shall park or store, or knowingly permit to be parked or stored, any unsheltered motor vehicle, trailer or recreational vehicle other than one (1) motorcycle or moped in any yard of any residential lot for any purpose except the washing of such motor vehicle, trailer or recreational vehicle, unless such vehicle is owned by the owner or occupant of the residential lot and is parked:...
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Fort Collins bars parking any vehicle over 6,000 pounds empty weight or 20 feet long, plus any motor coach, RV, trailer or truck tractor, anywhere on a public street or right-of-way under Traffic Code Section 1214. A homeowner may still park an RV or trailer in front of their own house for up to 48 hours while loading or unloading it.
Fort Collins Commercial Vehicle Parking Ban
Significant RestrictionsFort Collins Traffic Code § 1214
(1)It shall be unlawful for any person to park any of the following vehicles on public property, including any portion of a street, alley, highway, or other right-of-way within the City:(a)Any motor vehicle exceeding six thousand (6,000) pounds empty weight,(b)Any motor vehicle exceeding twenty (20) feet in length,(c)Any motor coach, trailer coach, recreational vehicle, trailer, semi-trailer, o...
Street Parking Limits
Fort Collins' core on-street parking rule, Traffic Code Section 1204, bans stopping, standing or parking on sidewalks, crosswalks, intersections and within 5 feet of any driveway, plus 15 feet of a fire hydrant and 20 feet of a crosswalk. Section 1205 separately requires parking with the right-hand wheels within 12 inches of the curb, which bars wrong-way parking against traffic.
Fort Collins On-Street Parking Restrictions
Some RestrictionsFort Collins Traffic Code § 1204
(1)Except as otherwise provided in Subsection (4) of this Section, no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic, or in compliance with the directions of a police officer, emergency services personnel or official traffic control device, in any of the following places:(a)On a sidewalk;(b)Within an intersection;(c)On a crosswalk;...(2)......
Overnight Parking
Fort Collins doesn't ban overnight street parking citywide; Section 1215 only kicks in on streets specifically signed to prohibit all-night parking, where no vehicle may sit longer than 30 minutes between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Physicians and others on emergency calls are exempt from the time limit.
Fort Collins Overnight Street Parking Limit
Some RestrictionsFort Collins Traffic Code § 1215
No person, except physicians or other persons on emergency calls, shall park a vehicle on any street signed to prohibit all-night parking, for a period of time longer than thirty (30) minutes between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. of any day.
EV Charging
Fort Collins lets a resident without off-street parking charge an electric vehicle at the curb by draping a cord across the public sidewalk, but only under strict Article VI conditions: one vehicle at a time, Level 1 cords only, and a code-compliant ramp covering the cord so pedestrians aren't tripped.
Fort Collins Sidewalk EV Cord-Draping Rules
Significant RestrictionsFort Collins Municipal Code § 24-182(b), (c), (d)
(b)If off-street parking is available for a residence a person must use such off-street parking for electric vehicle charging rather than using the street to charge by cord draping.(c)A residential cord draper may charge an electric vehicle on the street by cord draping at the residential cord draper's residence, provided:(1)...only when the residence does not have available dedicated off-stree...
Abandoned Vehicles
Fort Collins treats a vehicle as abandoned after 24 hours unattended on private property without the owner's consent, or 48 hours on any public street or right-of-way, under Traffic Code Section 1801. An unregistered vehicle, or one that is junked, wrecked or missing essential parts, also counts as abandoned, and the City can immobilize or tow it after the owner ignores a notice.
Fort Collins Abandoned Vehicle Impound Rules
Significant RestrictionsFort Collins Traffic Code § 1801
(1)Definitions. As used in this Section:(a)Abandoned vehicle means:I.Any vehicle left unattended on private property for a period of twenty-four (24) hours or longer without the consent of the owner or lessee of such property or owner's or lessee's legally authorized agent;II.Any vehicle left unattended on public property, including any portion of a street or highway right-of-way, within the Ci...
Curb Color Rules
Fort Collins bans painting house numbers on public street curbs without a City Engineer permit. Vendors who get the permit must disclose it is a private service, not a City project, and must give customers the price and their contact information before painting.
Fort Collins Curb House-Number Painting Permit
Some RestrictionsFort Collins Municipal Code § 24-92(a), (b)
(a)No person shall paint or otherwise install house numbers on the curbs of the City streets except as provided in this Section...(b)Any person desiring to paint house numbers on curbs pursuant to this Section shall obtain a permit and make application for such permit to the City Engineer on a form to be supplied by the City Engineer. Any such permit shall be valid through December 31 of the ye...
Loading Zones
Fort Collins caps how long a vehicle may sit in a marked loading zone: three minutes in a passenger-loading zone under Traffic Code Section 1216, and thirty minutes in a freight-loading zone under Section 1217. Both zones are restricted to actual loading or unloading during their posted hours, not general parking.
Fort Collins Loading Zone Time Limits
Some RestrictionsFort Collins Traffic Code §§ 1216-1217
1216. - Standing in a passenger-loading zone. No person shall stand a vehicle for any purpose or period of time other than for the expeditious loading or unloading of passengers in any place officially marked as a passenger-loading zone during hours when the regulations applicable to such loading zone are effective and then only for a period not to exceed three (3) minutes. 1217. - Standing in ...
Preferential Parking Districts
Fort Collins lets neighborhoods inside a defined management area petition the City Manager for a residential parking permit zone, restricting on-street parking to permit holders. At least ten adult residents can trigger a study, but property owners must also approve the zone by a majority vote.
Fort Collins Residential Parking Permit Zones
Significant RestrictionsFort Collins Municipal Code § 24-173; § 24-174(c)(3)-(4)
Upon the City Manager's determination that, in a neighborhood within the residential parking permit management area, it is in the public interest, or upon receipt of a petition by at least ten (10) adult residents of a neighborhood within the residential parking permit management area proposing a residential parking permit zone, the City Manager may conduct studies to determine if a residential...
Snow Removal Parking Rules
When the Fort Collins City Manager declares a snow emergency, parking is banned on every street designated a snow emergency route in the City's Snow Removal Handbook. Vehicles left on those routes, even briefly, are towed at the owner's expense so plows can clear curb to curb.
Fort Collins Snow Emergency Parking Bans
Significant RestrictionsFort Collins Municipal Code § 24-96(a), (c), (d)
(a)Whenever the City Manager...finds and so determines that, due to falling snow, sleet, freezing rain or a forecast by the United States Weather Bureau of weather conditions that so warrant, the City Manager is hereby authorized to declare the existence of a snow emergency...(c)Upon the declaration of the existence of a snow emergency, parking of motor vehicles shall be prohibited on all stree...
Looking for Larimer County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fort Collins city rules.
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