Parking Rules in Raleigh, NC (2026)
10 verified parking rules for Raleigh, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
RV & Boat Parking
Inside a mapped Special Residential Parking Overlay District, Raleigh bars parking or storing any vehicle, including a motorized recreation vehicle, camper, golf cart or boat trailer, in the front yard outside an approved paved or gravel parking pad. Elsewhere in the city, front-yard RV and boat parking follows only the base district's vehicular-surface-area standards.
Raleigh SRPOD Bars Yard RV & Boat Parking
Some RestrictionsRaleigh Unified Development Ordinance § 5.6.1
Sec. 5.6.1. Special Residential Parking Overlay District (-SRPOD) ... No vehicle shall be parked or stored outside of the vehicular surface areas described above within the front yard area with the exception of temporary parking under Sec. 5.6.1.E. and vehicles actively and continuously being unloaded, loaded, washed or repaired. For purposes of this provision, vehicle shall include, but not be...
Driveway Rules
For a detached house, tiny house or attached house on a Residential District lot, Raleigh's UDO caps combined parking and driveway area in the front setback at 40% of the space between the front building facade and the front property line, and requires enough depth that parked cars don't overhang the sidewalk.
Raleigh Caps Front-Yard Parking Coverage at 40%
Some RestrictionsRaleigh Unified Development Ordinance § 1.5.5
For a detached house, tiny house, or attached house located within a Residential District and used for residential purposes, combined parking and driveway area shall not constitute more than 40% of the area between the front building facade and the front property line. Any parking in the front setback must have sufficient depth so that parked cars do not encroach on the adjacent sidewalk.
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
City Code § 11-2176 bars trucks, trailers, house trailers and buses from parking or storing on Raleigh rights-of-way or City property, with a narrow exemption only for vehicles 8 feet wide and 20 feet long or smaller. Anything bigger cannot sit on a City street outside active travel or loading.
Raleigh Bans Truck, Trailer & Bus Parking Citywide
Significant RestrictionsRaleigh City Code § 11-2176
It shall be unlawful for any motor truck carriers operating as either common or contract carriers over regular or irregular routes, all passenger bus carriers, and all other owners of motor trucks or trailers of any kind, including house trailers, whose trucks, truck-trailers, trailers, semi-trailers, house trailers or buses at any time are operated into, out of, through, or within the corporat...
Street Parking Limits
Section 11-2171 bars parking that blocks traffic or sits within five feet of a driveway on either side, among a dozen other prohibited spots, while § 11-2179 separately requires vehicles to park headed in the direction of traffic, parallel to and within twelve inches of the curb.
Raleigh On-Street Parking: Driveways and Wrong-Way
Some RestrictionsRaleigh City Code §§ 11-2171(a),(b)(11); 11-2179(a)
(a)Obstructing traffic. It shall be unlawful for any person to stop, stand or park any motor vehicle upon a street, alley or parking facility owned, leased, maintained, or controlled by the City in such manner or under such conditions as to obstruct the free movement of vehicular traffic, except as otherwise provided by City Code or law. (b)Designated places. ...no person shall stop, stand or p...
Overnight Parking
Raleigh has no single citywide overnight parking ban; instead § 11-2174 lets the City post block-by-block time-limit signs under Traffic Schedule No. 15, so how long, including overnight, a car may sit varies by the specific posted sign, not a fixed curfew.
Raleigh Overnight Parking Runs on Posted Time Limits
Some RestrictionsRaleigh City Code § 11-2174
(a)When signs are erected adjacent to parking spaces in each block giving notice thereof, no person shall park a motor vehicle for longer than the limits stated on the signs, as the same are set out in official Traffic Schedule No. 15, "Parking Time Limits." A vehicle may park in a timed zone more than once during a day, provided the vehicle is moved prior to the expiration of the time which is...
EV Charging
Raleigh doesn't require EV charging in every new apartment complex, but UDO Sec. 7.1.4 does require extra EV-ready capacity when a project over 16 units (or 10,000 square feet nonresidential) chooses to build more parking than the code's maximum ratio allows: those excess spaces must include 50% more EV-ready, EV-capable or similar spaces than would otherwise be required.
Raleigh EV-Ready Parking for Large Complexes
Light RestrictionsRaleigh Unified Development Ordinance § 7.1.4
Sec. 7.1.5. Additional Vehicle Parking Provisions ... Applicability This section applies to all projects that meet both of the following criteria:Include more than 16 residential units and/or more than 10,000 square feet of nonresidential gross floor area. Provide more than the number of vehicle parking spaces shown in Section 7.1.2. Mitigation Requirements Projects in DX or TOD districts or in...
Abandoned Vehicles
Under North Carolina General Statute §20-137.7 and Raleigh City Code, a vehicle is considered abandoned if left on a public street more than 7 days, on private property more than 30 days without consent, or if it is junked, wrecked, or lacking current registration. Raleigh Police tag and tow abandoned vehicles after notice; owners can reclaim them by paying towing and storage fees.
Parking: Abandoned Vehicles
Some RestrictionsN.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-137.7
§ 20-137.7. Definitions of words and phrases. The following words and phrases when used in this Part shall for the purpose of this Part have the meaning respectively prescribed to them in this Part, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different meaning: (1) "Abandoned vehicle" means a motor vehicle that has remained illegally on private or public property for a perio...
Curb Color Rules
Only authorized City employees may paint streets, sidewalks, or curbs in Raleigh's rights-of-way, under City Code § 12-1036. Residents cannot paint curbs themselves, including for driveway markings or no-parking zones, without violating the code, regardless of intent.
Raleigh Curb Painting Restricted to City Crews
Significant RestrictionsRaleigh City Code § 12-1036
It shall be unlawful for any person other than duly authorized employees of the City to paint the streets, sidewalks or curbs, or any part thereof, within the right-of-way of any street or public alley within the City. Violation of this section is a misdemeanor and may also be enforced through issuance of a civil penalty pursuant to §14-1005, through injunctive or other equitable relief, or a c...
Loading Zones
Section 11-2177 caps passenger loading at ten minutes and materials loading at sixty minutes citywide, with materials zones running 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday by default. Separate rules cover commercial-vehicle-only, musician, food truck, mixed-use, and curbside pickup zones.
Raleigh Loading Zone Time Limits and Hours
Some RestrictionsRaleigh City Code § 11-2177(a),(b),(c)(ii)
(a)Passenger loading and unloading. No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle for any purpose other than for actively loading or unloading passengers in any place marked as a passenger loading and unloading zone during the hours when the restrictions applicable to such zones or stops are effective. In no case shall the stopping, standing, or parking in such zone exceed ten (10) minutes. (b)...
Preferential Parking Districts
Raleigh lets residents petition to create a Controlled Parking Residential Area, restricting on-street parking to permit holders. A qualifying area needs at least eight contiguous block faces and signatures from 70 percent of eligible households before the Transportation Director posts permit-only signs enforced under City Code Sec. 11-2182.
Raleigh Controlled Parking Residential Areas
Some RestrictionsRaleigh City Code Sec. 11-2182
(a) Definitions. Controlled parking residential area shall mean an area designated herein for restricted residential parking pursuant to criteria established in this section... (c) Petition and designation... A controlled parking residential area must contain either at least eight (8) contiguous block faces or must be a contiguous expansion of an existing controlled parking residential area and...
Looking for Wake County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Raleigh city rules.
Parking Rules in Wake County →