Chattanooga, TN Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Chattanooga's curb loading zone rules sit in Chapter 24, Article X, Division 1 of the City Code. Section 24-293 gives the city traffic engineer the job of fixing where passenger and freight zones go, choosing the signs, and stating the hours during which the zone rules apply. The Parking Authority can recommend a zone, but the engineer makes the call. The stopping limits in §§ 24-294 and 24-295 apply only during the hours those regulations are effective, so the posted hours on the sign control whether a stop is a violation.

Passenger zones are the tighter of the two. Section 24-294 bars anyone from stopping, standing or parking for any purpose other than the expeditious loading or unloading of passengers, and then only for a period not to exceed three (3) minutes. The chapter defines a passenger curb loading zone as a place adjacent to a curb reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles during the loading or unloading of passengers.

Freight zones allow longer stops. Section 24-295 limits the space to the expeditious unloading and delivery or pickup and loading of materials, and in no case may the stop exceed thirty (30) minutes. The chapter's definition of a freight curb loading zone covers the loading or unloading of freight or passengers, so a delivery driver and a rider drop-off are both within the zone's purpose, but only the 30-minute cap governs how long the vehicle sits.

Bus operators have their own limit in § 24-297(b): they cannot stop to load or unload passengers or baggage anywhere except a designated bus stop, bus stand or passenger loading zone, unless there is an emergency. Under § 24-297(c) the bus must sit with its right front wheel no more than eighteen (18) inches from the curb.

Enforcement belongs to the City of Chattanooga or to the Parking Authority, which acts in the areas where § 24-317 grants it parking enforcement authority (§ 24-302(a)). Both enforce the same $45.00 penalty for parking in a designated loading zone.