Bristol, PA Parking Rules: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Street length limit
- Over 18 feet banned on R-1, R-1A, R-2, N-C streets and alleys
- Street width limit
- Over 7 feet 6 inches including accessories
- Public lot ban hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Weight trigger in lots
- GVWR in excess of 14,000 pounds
- Lot and sleeping-in-vehicle fine
- Not more than $100 plus costs per offense
- Street violation penalty
- $15 within 10 days, then $25 and costs
Summary
In Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania, no one can park a motor vehicle or trailer, or a combination of the two, longer than 18 feet or wider than 7 feet 6 inches on a street or alley in areas zoned R-1, R-1A, R-2 or N-C, except for local deliveries. Borough public parking lots add an overnight ban from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on business vehicles and vehicles over 14,000 pounds GVWR.
1. It shall be unlawful for any party to park, or to allow to remain parked, except for local deliveries, on any of the following streets or areas, the following: Type of Vehicle Street or Area Any motor vehicle or trailer or combination thereof with a total length exceeding 18 feet Any street or alley in an area zoned R-1, R-1A, R-2, or N-C Any trailer used for or storing boats, construction material or equipment, motor vehicles, or other goods or merchandise. Any street or alley in an area zoned R-1, R-1A, R2, N-C, GC, or H-C Any motor vehicle or trailer or combination thereof with a width, including all accessories, exceeding 7 feet 6 inches Any street or alley in an area zoned R-1, R-1A, R-2 or NC 2. It shall be unlawful for any party to park, or allow to remain parked, during the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in any public parking lot throughout the Borough, the following: ... E. Any vehicle with a GVWR in excess of 14,000 pounds; F. All vehicles used in the operation of a business.
Full Breakdown
Section 15-405 of the Bristol Borough Code sets up three separate rules, and Borough Council wrote each one with different numbers.
Subsection 1 covers streets and alleys. It is unlawful to park, or to allow to remain parked, any motor vehicle or trailer, or combination of the two, with a total length exceeding 18 feet on any street or alley in an area zoned R-1, R-1A, R-2 or N-C. The same four districts bar any vehicle or combination whose width, including all accessories, exceeds 7 feet 6 inches. A third row bars any trailer used for or storing boats, construction material or equipment, motor vehicles, or other goods or merchandise, and that row reaches two more districts: R-1, R-1A, R2, N-C, GC and H-C. The only exception printed in subsection 1 is for local deliveries.
Subsection 2 governs every public parking lot in the Borough between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. The banned list is: vehicles over 18 feet in total length, trailers used for storing boats, construction material, equipment, motor vehicles or other goods, any recreational vehicle (the code names campers, boats, trailers and snowmobiles as examples), anything wider than seven feet six inches, any vehicle with a GVWR in excess of 14,000 pounds, and all vehicles used in the operation of a business. The business-vehicle item is not tied to size or weight, so it reaches any vehicle used in the operation of a business.
Subsection 3 adds a separate ban: it is unlawful to use any motor vehicle, recreational vehicle or other device as living or sleeping quarters at any time in any public parking lot or on any public street, alley or area throughout the Borough of Bristol.
The street rules trace to Ord. 1005 of 7/14/1986, amended by Ord. 1012, Ord. 1051 and Ord. 1092 (5/8/1995). The lot and sleeping rules were added by Ord. No. 1326 on 8/13/2018, and the business-vehicle item carries an Ord. No. 1355 note dated 7/11/2022.
Violations & Fines
A violation of subsection 2 or 3 (public lots and sleeping in a vehicle) is prosecuted before a Magisterial District Judge as a summary offense: a fine of not more than $100 plus costs and, in default of payment, a term of imprisonment not to exceed 90 days. Each day a violation continues, and each section found violated, counts as a separate offense. Street violations under subsection 1 fall outside that clause and take the general Part 4 penalty in § 15-410: $15 within 10 days after notice, rising to $25, and on conviction a fine of $25 and costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my work truck on my residential street in Bristol Borough?
Can a contractor leave a business vehicle in a Borough parking lot overnight?
Where can I park a boat trailer or camper in Bristol Borough?
Is it legal to sleep in my vehicle on a Bristol Borough street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bristol
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