Charlottesville, VA Parking Rules: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted hours
- midnight to 6:00 a.m.
- RV/trailer length limit
- over 20 feet banned
- Bus/van threshold
- more than 12 passengers
- Exception
- city-issued parking permit
- Also banned
- covering plate/decal with a tarp
- Section
- City Code § 15-144(a)
Summary
Semi-trucks, large buses, boats and oversized RVs cannot sit on any Charlottesville public street between midnight and 6 a.m. City Code § 15-144(a) lists the banned vehicle types by name and lets the city manager issue a parking permit as the only way around the ban.
(a)No vehicle or trailer listed below shall be parked on any of the public streets of the city between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m.; however, this section shall not apply to a vehicle that has obtained a parking permit from the city.(1)Semi-truck or semitrailer truck, as defined by the Code of Virginia § 46.2-1500.(2)Bus or van designed to carry more than twelve (12) passengers (city school buses and vans excepted).(3)Vehicle with [an] antique license plate.(4)Vehicle with F-tag license plate or farm use placard.(5)Boat.(6)Recreational vehicle (as defined by section 34-1200 of this Code) or trailer (as defined by Code of Virginia § 46.2-1500) in excess of twenty (20) feet in length.(7)Any vehicle or trailer with more than two (2) wheels per axle.
Full Breakdown
2-1500, buses or vans built to carry more than twelve passengers (except city school buses and vans), vehicles with antique plates, vehicles with farm-use F-tags or placards, boats, recreational vehicles or trailers longer than 20 feet, and any vehicle or trailer with more than two wheels per axle. The only way around the nighttime ban is a parking permit obtained from the city. The section also bars covering a parked vehicle with a tarp that hides its license plate or state inspection decal, and it separately bars performing vehicle service or repairs on a public street, or storing a customer's vehicle there, except for emergency repairs or the immediate transfer of a vehicle to or from a shop.
The city manager may additionally post temporary 'No Parking' signs to clear snow, ice, leaves or debris under § 15-145, and a vehicle left in a posted zone after signs go up, or not moved within two hours of posting, is in violation.
Violations & Fines
Parking a semi-truck, oversized bus, boat or RV over 20 feet on a public street overnight without a city parking permit is a traffic infraction under § 15-148, enforceable the same way as any other parking ticket under § 15-149. Repairing or storing a customer's vehicle on a public street violates § 15-144(c) unless the work is an emergency repair or the immediate transfer of the vehicle to or from a shop, and covering a parked vehicle's plate or inspection decal with a tarp violates § 15-144(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my semi-truck on a Charlottesville street overnight?
Is there a size limit for parking an RV on the street overnight?
Can a repair shop store a customer's car on the street overnight?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charlottesville
Compare Charlottesville to another location·View the Virginia parking rules overview
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