New Bedford, MA Parking Rules: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered vehicles
- Non-Class D license vehicles, tow trucks
- Zones covered
- Residential AA, A, B, C
- Where banned
- Streets, driveways, yards (not garages)
- Delivery exception
- Active pickups/deliveries allowed
- Construction exception
- Requires an issued building permit
Summary
New Bedford bans parking any vehicle needing more than a Class D license, plus every tow truck, within residence zones AA, A, B, and C under § 23-23. The ban reaches private driveways and yards too, not just public streets, with only narrow delivery and construction exceptions.
No vehicle which is required under M.G.L.A. c. 90 to have other than a "Class D" license, as well as all tow trucks, also known as wreckers... shall be parked or be left standing within residence zones AA, A, B or C at any time. The prohibition hereby imposed shall not apply to the parking or standing of such a vehicle for the purpose of making pickups or deliveries from or to any building or structure located within such residence districts, or for the purpose of delivering materials to be used in the repair, alteration, remodeling, or construction of any such building or structure for which a building permit has been obtained. This prohibition shall apply not only on public streets but also on private property, driveways and parking areas, except garages.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19).
Full Breakdown
c. 90, plus all tow trucks or wreckers, cannot be parked or left standing anywhere within residence zones AA, A, B, or C, at any time. Unlike the trailer rule in § 23-22, this prohibition explicitly extends past the public street: the ordinance states it 'shall apply not only on public streets but also on private property, driveways and parking areas,' with a single carve-out for vehicles parked inside a garage. The section builds in two operational exceptions so residential deliveries and construction can still happen: a covered vehicle may stop to make pickups or deliveries to a building in the residential district, and it may stand while delivering materials for repair, alteration, remodeling, or construction work for which a building permit has already been issued.
Outside those two windows, the ban is absolute regardless of how briefly the vehicle is parked or whose property it sits on. The section was adopted by ordinance in 1997 and amended in 2009, reflecting the city's decision to keep large trucks and wreckers, common in a working port city, out of residential streetscapes even when the vehicle's owner also owns the residential lot.
Violations & Fines
The ordinance text itself does not print a specific dollar fine for § 23-23; violations of Chapter 23 traffic provisions are generally enforced through the city's standard penalty schedule, and a heavy truck or tow truck found parked or standing in a residential zone AA, A, B, or C outside the delivery or permitted-construction exceptions is in violation regardless of whether it sits on the street, a driveway, or a yard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my tow truck in my own driveway in a New Bedford residential zone?
Are delivery trucks allowed to stop in residential neighborhoods?
What about a contractor's truck during a home renovation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Bedford
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Commercial & Oversized Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Bristol County handle commercial & oversized vehicles.