Raleigh, NC Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)

Section 12-1036 flatly bars anyone other than a duly authorized City employee from painting any street, sidewalk, or curb, or any part of one, within the right-of-way of a street or public alley in Raleigh. The prohibition covers the full range of surfaces the City itself uses paint on, travel lanes, curb faces, and sidewalk pavement, and applies regardless of the paint's purpose, whether it's a homeowner marking a driveway apron red to discourage parking, a business owner striping a loading zone, or anyone else applying color to public right-of-way surfaces without City authorization.

Because curb and street markings communicate official parking, loading, and traffic restrictions, the City reserves that function to its own crews so markings carry consistent, verifiable authority; an unauthorized paint job cannot be relied on as an enforceable no-parking or loading designation and can itself trigger enforcement. The section sits among a cluster of general street-use rules in Chapter 12, alongside bans on hauling loose debris, dumping trash, and playing games in the right-of-way, reflecting a broader code structure that keeps control of the physical street surface with the City rather than adjacent property owners or businesses.