Parking Rules in Madison, WI (2026)
11 verified parking rules for Madison, Wisconsin, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
RV & Boat Parking
Madison's zoning code limits what residents can park outdoors at home. MGO § 28.141(10) caps commercial vehicles at one per dwelling (under 10,000 lbs./21 feet), bans construction and industrial equipment from residential lots outright, and allows a mobile recreational vehicle only as a parked passenger vehicle: never as living space or storage.
RV Parking Limits on Madison Home Lots
Some RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances § 28.141(10)
(10)Restrictions on Residential Parking.(a)A maximum of one (1) commercial vehicle per dwelling unit may be parked outdoors on residential property if the vehicle is:1.Used by a resident of the dwelling unit.2.Has a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of ten thousand (10,000) pounds or less and is less than twenty-one (21) feet in length.(b)Vehicles and/or equipment not normally associat...
Driveway Rules
Madison zoning bars parking within front and street-side yard setbacks except on a conforming driveway, and caps paved front-setback area at 40% for lot coverage. MGO § 28.141(8)(c) sets the standard for single- and two-family lots; unlawful yard parking draws a $100 first-offense forfeiture.
Madison Front-Yard Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances § 28.141(8)(c)
(c)Parking Locations for Single and Two-Family Dwellings. ... 1.Parking is not permitted within front yard setbacks, or any street side yard setback, including the side yard setback extension into the rear yard, except on a driveway meeting the standards of Subsection (9) below.2.Parking shall not be located on street terraces, driveways, or any other areas located within a public right-of-way ...
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Madison keeps heavy trucks off residential streets. MGO § 12.129 bars parking any truck, tractor, trailer, semitrailer, or motor home registered at 10,000 pounds gross weight or more on non-State-Trunk-Highway streets in a residence district, except for the time reasonably needed to load or unload.
Heavy Trucks Barred From Residential Streets
Significant RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances § 12.129
No operator shall park a motor truck, truck tractor, trailer or semitrailer, motor home or any other vehicle or combination of vehicles, other than motor buses, having a gross weight of ten thousand (10,000) pounds or more as registered with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, on any highway, other than routed State Trunk Highways, in any residence district except for such time as is re...
Overnight Parking
Madison doesn't ban overnight parking outright: it bans using a public street for long-term vehicle storage. Under MGO § 12.128(3), leaving any vehicle standing on the same street continuously for 48 hours or more is a "street storage" violation, enforced by the Parking Division and Police Department with escalating citations.
Madison's 48-Hour Street Storage Ban
Some RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances § 12.128(3)
(3)Street Storage Prohibited. No person shall leave a vehicle standing upon any street for storage purposes. Storage is defined as the leaving of a vehicle standing upon a street for a continued period of forty-eight (48) hours or more.
EV Charging
New or 10,000-square-foot-plus expanded parking facilities in Madison must build a rising share of electric-vehicle-ready and EV-installed spaces under MGO § 28.141(8)(e). For long-stay uses like colleges, hotels, hospitals, offices and schools, the requirement climbs from 10% EV-ready/1% installed in 2021-2025 to 50% EV-ready/5% installed by 2041, with accessible charging stations required as installed spaces increase.
Madison EV Charging Station Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances § 28.141(8)(e)
(e)Electric Vehicle Charging Station Requirements. Parking facilities shall be designed and built to meet the following requirements:1.Applicability. The requirements of this subdivision shall apply to any new parking facility, or to any parking facility that is expanded by 10,000 square feet, as measured in parking spaces being created after January 1, 2021. A parking facility may be maintaine...
Abandoned Vehicles
Leaving a vehicle unattended on any Madison street or on private or public property for more than 48 hours without permission makes it a deemed-abandoned public nuisance under MGO § 12.128(4). Police or parking enforcement officers must have it towed and impounded, and the City can sell or junk it if towing and storage costs exceed its value.
Madison Abandoned Vehicle Removal Ordinance
Significant RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances § 12.128(4)(a)-(c)
No person shall leave unattended any motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer or mobile home on any public street or highway or private or public property in the City of Madison, for such time and under such circumstances as to cause the vehicle to reasonably appear to have been abandoned. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, whenever any vehicle has been left unattended on any street or...
Curb Color Rules
Madison bans parking next to any curb painted yellow. MGO § 12.128(15)(e) prohibits stopping, standing, or leaving a vehicle adjacent to a curb marked with yellow paint authorized by the official who maintains that highway, so long as the paint is visible enough for an ordinarily observant driver to notice it.
Madison Yellow-Curb Parking Ban
Some RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances § 12.128(15)(e)
(15)Parking Prohibited in Certain Specified Places. No person shall park, stop or leave standing any motor vehicle in any of the following specified places, except temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading or receiving or discharging passengers and while attended by a licensed operator so that it may be promptly moved in case of an emergency or to avoid o...
Loading Zones
Madison reserves posted truck loading zones for vehicles actually registered as trucks, farm trucks, or dual-purpose farm trucks or motor homes under MGO § 12.128(10), and even those vehicles can only stop there for up to 30 minutes while actively loading or unloading freight with a licensed operator attending. Any other vehicle parking in a marked loading zone is cited under the same subsection, carrying a $40 fine.
Madison Truck Loading Zone Parking Rule
Some RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances § 12.128(10)
(10)Truck Loading Zone. No operator of a vehicle other than one currently registered as a truck pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 341.25(2), a farm truck pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 341.26(3)(a), a dual purpose farm truck pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 341.26(3)(am), or a dual purpose motor home pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 341.26(1)(c), shall stop or leave standing his or her vehicle in a space indicated by officia...
Preferential Parking Districts
Madison lets residents on commuter-impacted streets buy an annual permit that exempts them from posted time limits or reserves spaces for residents only. MGO § 12.138 requires a street to meet dwelling-density and commuter-occupancy criteria before designation, and permits cost $42 a year ($11 for a duplicate).
Madison Residential Parking Permit Program
Significant RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances § 12.138
(1)Established. There is hereby declared the necessity to establish, as hereinafter provided, a permit system whereby vehicles bearing a valid residential parking permit issued pursuant to this section may, as hereinafter provided, park 1) in excess of the posted time limits on specifically designated streets within certain designated areas between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. or 2) in ...
Snow Removal Parking Rules
MGO § 12.1335 runs alternate-side overnight parking (1-7 a.m.) from November 15 to March 15 citywide, suspended inside a mapped Snow Emergency Zone unless the Street Superintendent declares a snow emergency, after which alternate-side rules apply everywhere and violators are towed.
Madison Alternate-Side & Snow Emergency Parking
Some RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances § 12.1335(1),(2),(4)
(1)Alternate-side parking. From the dates of November 15 to March 15, between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. all vehicles will be parked only on the even-numbered side of the street on even-numbered calendar days, and only on the odd side of the street on odd-numbered calendar days... (4)Snow Emergency Parking. The Street Superintendent, or designee, may declare a snow emergency whenever ...
Towing & Impound Rights
Madison regulates the non-consensual tow in two layers. Sec. 23.561 turns four private-lot towing practices into City offenses punishable by $100 to $1,000 with $400 cash deposits, while Sec. 23.56 caps the fee to release a booted vehicle at $50 and gives drivers a 14-day appeal to the Transportation Commission.
Madison Caps Boot Release Fees at $50
Significant RestrictionsMadison General Ordinances Sec. 23.561
(1)It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to remove a vehicle involved in trespass parking on a private parking lot or facility without first notifying the Madison Police Department of the make, model, vehicle identification number, and registration plate number of the vehicle and the location to which the vehicle will be removed, as required by Wis. Stat. § 349.13(3m)(d)(2)....
Looking for Dane County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Madison city rules.
Parking Rules in Dane County →