Shoreline, WA Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)

Section 503.3 of the adopted International Fire Code, as amended by the Shoreline Fire Department under SMC § 15.05.050, tells property owners and contractors exactly how a fire lane has to look once the fire code official designates one. A reflective 'R8-31' or equivalent sign, at least 12 by 18 inches with white background and red 'No Parking Fire Lane' wording, must be mounted no less than 7 feet above the street or sidewalk, and repeated every 50 feet along a straight sightline (closer where curves or corners block the view).

Where a curb exists, both its vertical and horizontal faces get painted solid yellow, and the pavement next to it is stenciled 'NO PARKING FIRE LANE' in 12-inch-tall yellow block letters with a 1-1/2-inch minimum brush stroke, repeated every 50 feet. If the curb is rolled or there is no curb at all, the same 12-inch stenciled lettering goes directly on the pavement, backed by a continuous 4-inch-wide yellow stripe painted 2 inches below the lettering for the full length of the lane. The Fire Code Official can approve variations that achieve the same visibility outcome, and can revoke that approval for cause if the substitute markings stop working.

Because Chapter 15.05 folds into the city's general code-enforcement chapter, a property owner who never paints or maintains a required fire lane is treated the same as any other code violation. Marking is required only where the fire code official has actually designated the road as a fire lane; routine parking stalls and unmarked private drives are not covered.