Lawrence, MA Parking Rules: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (2026)

020 of the Lawrence Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful to park or leave standing any commercial vehicle rated 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight or more, or any full-sized bus (including school buses), on any street or portion of a street in the city, whether the block is zoned residential, business or industrial. The ban is not absolute: it does not apply while a qualifying vehicle is actually making a pickup or delivery to a building, or while it is delivering materials or providing a service connected to repair, alteration, remodeling or construction work for which a building permit has already been issued.

A separate carve-out lets a Lawrence resident who drives a school bus obtain a parking placard from the police department by showing proof of current city residency; once displayed on the driver's window, the placard allows that resident to park an assigned school bus on a city street during school hours on days when school is in session, and lacking a displayed placard is no defense even if one was issued. Enforcement runs through the police department. 00 fine per offense, and each day the violation continues counts as a new, separately punishable offense.

140, the city's general towing authority for illegally parked vehicles, on top of the fine. The current version traces to Doc. 86/2015 (effective June 19, 2015) and Doc. 68/2014 (effective May 2, 2014), building on a 1996 ordinance and former Code § 19-61A.