Portland, ME Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

A of the City of Portland Land Use Code, effective July 1, 2026, governs where off-street vehicle parking may sit on residential lots. a requires that vehicular parking spaces be located to the side or rear of the principal structure and not between the front building line and the front lot line, then carves out an exception for parking within driveways on lots containing single-family, two-family, three-family, or four-family dwellings. In plain terms: a homeowner may park in the paved driveway that runs through the front yard, but cannot park a vehicle anywhere else in that front yard, on the lawn, a gravel apron, or a widened pad outside the driveway lane.

a with no driveway carve-out at all. b requires a fence at least six feet tall along the shared lot line. Nonresidential parking within ten feet of a street also needs a permanently anchored curb guard at least five feet from the lot line and 20 inches tall. 1, and any violation, including unauthorized front-yard parking, is punishable under Chapter 1, § 1-15's general penalty of $100 to $500 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense.