York County, VA Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)

York County added Section F-311.4 to the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code through Section 11-36(d) of the County Code, making curb and sign marking of designated fire lanes the responsibility of the property owner, not the county. The rule sets three concrete requirements: diagonal stripes plus the words "No Parking Fire Lane" painted on the right-of-way pavement in traffic yellow, the curb itself painted traffic yellow, and signage measuring exactly 12 inches by 18 inches installed in plain view of motorists, reading "No Parking Fire Lane" in red letters on a white background.

The fire prevention code as a whole is enforced by the fire chief or the chief's authorized representative under Section 11-34, and the York County Fire Marshal's Office administers day-to-day compliance for commercial sites, apartment complexes and shopping centers where fire lanes serve emergency apparatus. Because Section F-311.4 does not spell out its own penalty, the county's default penalty schedule at Section 1-10(b) applies: an owner who fails to mark a required fire lane commits a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $2,500, up to twelve months in jail, or both, since no more specific class is assigned.

That is separate from the driver-facing rule at Section 11-24, which makes it unlawful to park a vehicle in a marked fire lane and sets a fine of not more than $100 upon conviction, enforced alongside the county's stopping, standing and parking provisions in Sections 15-44 through 15-46. Property owners installing or resurfacing parking lots at multifamily, commercial or institutional sites in Yorktown, Grafton, Tabb and Seaford should confirm fire lane locations with the fire marshal before painting, since the marking specification is fixed by ordinance rather than left to site design.