Salem, OR Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Front-yard parking allowed only
- Garage, carport, or driveway leading to one
- Surfacing
- Hard surface material required, paved
- Driveway width
- 10-22 ft depending on spaces served
- Garage entrance setback
- 20 ft from street or accessway
- Unpaved exception
- Partitions 300+ ft from sewer only
Summary
Salem only allows front-yard parking within a garage, carport, or a driveway leading to one, and every driveway or parking area must be paved with a hard surface material. SRC 806.025 sets these standards for houses, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes, closing off gravel or grass front-yard parking outside a narrow circular-driveway exception.
(a)Location within yards.(1)Front yard abutting street. Within a front yard abutting a street, off-street parking and vehicle storage shall be allowed only:(A)Within a garage or carport;(B)On a driveway leading to:(i)A garage or carport;(ii)A garage that has been legally converted to another use subsequent to its construction as a garage;(iii)A screened off-street parking area; or(iv)A screened vehicle storage area; or(C)On a circular driveway meeting the standards set forth in SRC 806.030(e)...(e)Surfacing. Off-street parking areas and vehicle storage areas shall be paved with a hard surface material.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
030(e). Parking anywhere else in that front yard, including on a lawn, gravel patch, or unimproved side strip, falls outside the list and is not allowed. Subsection (e) backs that up with a surfacing rule: off-street parking areas and vehicle storage areas must be paved with a hard surface material, full stop. 030(c), applies the same paving duty to the driveway itself, with one narrow carve-out: driveways serving lots within an approved partition located more than 300 feet from an available sewer connection are not required to be paved.
Driveway dimensions are also fixed by Table 806-3: a single-space driveway needs a minimum ten-foot width, a two-space driveway needs 16 feet, and a driveway serving three or more spaces needs 22 feet, each with a 20-foot minimum depth behind the parking spaces served before the width can narrow to ten feet. A garage or carport vehicle entrance facing a street or flag lot accessway must also be set back at least 20 feet from that street or accessway line.
Violations & Fines
Parking on an unpaved front yard or a driveway that hasn't been surfaced with a hard material violates SRC 806.025 and SRC 806.030 and is handled through Salem's standard code enforcement track: an enforcement order under SRC chapter 20J first gives the property owner time to correct the surface or relocate the parking, and a civil penalty of up to $2,000 per day can follow for violations that go uncorrected, are repeated, or are knowing and intentional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park on my lawn or a gravel patch in Salem?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salem
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