Methuen, MA Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Three sections of the Methuen Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance control driveway and front yard parking. Section 5.10A bars the ungaraged parking of an unregistered car, truck or trailer in any residential district unless the Board of Appeals authorizes it by special permit, and § 5.10A(2) adds that no such vehicle shall be stored between the principal building and a street line. Section 5.10B carves out one noncommercial motor vehicle parked on a driveway, if it is in operable condition and meets the standards under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90 for inspection and registration.

Section 6.2E(4) is the front yard rule for every district: no front yard shall be used for the open storage of boats, vehicles, travel trailers or any other equipment. In Business and Industrial Districts, a fifteen-foot landscaped strip must be provided adjacent to the street right-of-way line when a front yard is used for parking.

Section 8.7 is one sentence: shared driveways shall not be allowed in any Residential District. Article II defines a driveway as a portion of a lot, not more than 20 feet in width, built for access to a garage or off-street parking or loading space, and the definition allows it to be paved.

The surface of a parking area is governed by § 8.2B. Open off-street parking areas must be graded, drained and surfaced in conformance with engineering standards set by the City Engineer, and surface drainage cannot flow onto land of adjacent property owners or the City right-of-way. The City Engineer can require permeable surfacing in areas the Conservation Commission designates as high-water storage areas. Under § 8.2C, each required space is marked and no less than nine feet wide and 18 feet long for angle parking or 22 feet long for parallel parking.

Section 5.11 separately allows not more than one business vehicle per dwelling unit in residential districts, up to a gross vehicle weight of one-ton capacity.