Boston, MA Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 16-46.3(B)
- First offense fine
- $50 (warning possible)
- Repeat offense fine
- $100 per subsequent offense
- Enforcing agency
- Inspectional Services Commissioner
- Applies to
- Residential zoning district yards only
- Each day counts
- Separate violation per day
Summary
Boston fines residents who park cars in a required front, side or rear yard of a home in a residential zoning district. Inspectional Services enforces the ban with escalating civil fines and a possible written warning on a first offense.
(B) Yard parking. Any person who violates any Section of the Boston Zoning Code, as it may be amended, through the use and occupancy of land, buildings or structures in a residential zoning district as defined in the Boston Zoning Code for the purpose of parking motor vehicles on any front yard, side yard or rear yard as defined in Boston Zoning Code Article 2A shall be in violation of this Section. Each day a violation occurs or remains unremedied shall be considered a separate violation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-2: Current through Ordinance 2025 C. 14, passed 11-5-2025).
Full Breakdown
3(B) of the Code of Ordinances, it is a violation to use or occupy land, buildings or structures in a residential zoning district for "the purpose of parking motor vehicles on any front yard, side yard or rear yard" as those yards are defined in the Boston Zoning Code, Article 2A. 2 and may promulgate rules to implement the ban. Each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense, so a car left parked on a front lawn week after week can generate multiple fines rather than one.
Because the prohibition is tied to the Zoning Code's own yard definitions and residential-district boundaries, it does not reach driveways or paved areas that the Zoning Code recognizes as legitimate off-street parking; it targets parking directly on unpaved or landscaped yard area outside those approved spaces. The ordinance was adopted by Ord. 2003 c. 17 § 1 and amended by Ord. 2009 c. L. Chapter 40, Section 21D.
Violations & Fines
A first offense under Section 16-46.3 (which includes yard parking) draws a $50 civil fine; a second or later offense draws $100 per Section 16-46.4(A). The Commissioner may issue a written warning in lieu of a fine for a first offense. Each day the vehicle remains parked in the yard is a separate violation, and the city can pursue a higher penalty under other applicable Massachusetts or city law, plus an injunction, without being barred by the civil fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my car on my front lawn in Boston?
What is the fine for illegal yard parking in Boston?
Who enforces Boston's yard parking ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boston
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Driveway Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle driveway rules.