Tempe, AZ Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)

Section 19-121(b), tucked into Article X of Chapter 19 (Movement and Traffic) of the general code alongside the curb-loading-zone rules, is a broad, citywide prohibition rather than a loading-zone-only rule. It states that it is hereby declared to be unlawful for any person to paint a curb, sidewalk or any part of any street of the City in any manner whatsoever, except for the purposes designated by the City Council, and separately makes it unlawful to designate any part of any street of the City as being limited in any manner with respect to parking thereon unless the City does so.

In practice this means only the City Traffic Engineer, acting on authority the City Council has approved, may authorize red no-parking curbs, blue disability-parking curbs, yellow loading-zone curbs or any other color-coded curb marking anywhere in Tempe; a homeowner, HOA or business that paints its own curb red to keep the space clear, without that Council-backed designation, is violating the section regardless of good intent. The rule sits directly next to Section 19-121(a), which gives the Traffic Engineer the tool to designate restricted zones by use of signs, or painted curbs, or both, making clear the two subsections work together: (a) is how the City lawfully marks a curb, and (b) is what makes every other curb-painting act by anyone else illegal. Both provisions trace to Ordinance No. 22 on August 15, 2019.