Duluth, MN Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Active hours
- 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., non-holiday weekdays
- Non-truck limit in loading zone
- 5 minutes maximum
- Who designates zones
- City council or director of public service
- Detached semitrailers
- Barred on any street, § 33-87(d)
- Max general fine
- $1,000 (§ 1-7)
Summary
In the City of Duluth, loading zones and truck zones run 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on non-holiday weekdays, and only vehicles actively loading or unloading passengers or freight may stop there; non-truck vehicles get five minutes max in a loading zone under Duluth Legislative Code § 33-87.
(b) Loading zones. Between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. of any day, except Sundays and the following legal holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, or such other time as the city council or the director of public service shall determine in establishing such loading zone, no person shall stop, stand or park any vehicle in a loading zone which is properly marked by an official sign, except for the purpose of receiving or discharging passengers or freight, and then only for a period no longer than is necessary for the discharge or receipt of the passengers or freight. In no case shall a person with a vehicle other than a truck use a loading zone for more than five minutes.
Full Breakdown
Section 33-87 lets the city council establish spaces as loading zones or truck zones by resolution, with the director of public service also empowered to designate loading zones subject to a council report-and-veto process. on any day except Sundays and six named holidays (New Year's, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas): only trucks may stop there, and only long enough to load or unload passengers or freight. Subsection (b) governs loading zones on the same schedule: any vehicle may stop only to receive or discharge passengers or freight, and a non-truck vehicle is capped at five minutes in a loading zone.
Subsection (c) lets an abutting property owner apply in writing for a loading or truck zone, to the city council for truck zones or the director of public service for loading zones, and bills the applicant for the cost of the resolution, signage and curb painting. Subsection (d) separately bars leaving a semitrailer standing unattached from its tractor unit on any city street or highway for any length of time. The section dates to the 1950 code and was last amended in 1976 (Ord. No. 8238).
Violations & Fines
Chapter 33 does not set a specific fine for § 33-87, so the citywide general penalty in § 1-7 applies: up to $1,000 per offense, with each day a violation continues counted separately. Stopping in a marked truck zone in a non-truck vehicle, exceeding the five-minute limit in a loading zone, or leaving an unattached semitrailer standing on a city street all expose the vehicle to citation and, under § 33-98, towing and impoundment at the owner's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I stop in a Duluth loading zone?
Are Duluth loading zones enforced on weekends?
Can a business request a loading zone in front of its Duluth storefront?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Duluth
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