Longmont, CO Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Time limit
- 25 minutes for loading/unloading in an alley
- Applies to
- Any vehicle, delivery or passenger
- Legal basis
- Amends Model Traffic Code Section 1215
- Case type
- Civil traffic infraction, not criminal
- Heard by
- Municipal judge or parking-infraction referee
- Related rule
- Same 25-min threshold, alley obstruction code
Summary
Longmont limits loading and unloading in alleys to 25 minutes. Municipal Code § 11.04.108 amends Section 1215 of the state Model Traffic Code so that no one may park a vehicle in a city alley for more than 25 minutes while loading or unloading merchandise, freight or passengers, whether the vehicle is a delivery truck or a passenger car.
Section 1215 of part 12 of the model traffic code is amended to read as follows: 1215. Parking in alleys. No person shall park a vehicle within an alley for more than 25 minutes while loading and unloading of merchandise or freight or passengers.
Full Breakdown
title 31, article 16 and sections 4-9 and 4-10 of the city charter. 108 rewrites Section 1215 to read: 'Parking in alleys. ' That 25-minute figure isn't isolated to traffic enforcement. 80, 'Alleyway Obstructions,' borrows the same threshold in its own definitions section: 'Temporary means longer than 25 minutes. 108,' tying the loading-zone time limit to the separate rule against leaving trash, recycling and other obstructions blocking an alley used for emergency and solid-waste access. There's no separate loading-zone signage scheme carved out in the code; the alley itself, defined as a secondary right-of-way providing 'vehicular service to the back or side of properties,' functions as the citywide loading zone, and the 25-minute clock runs regardless of whether the vehicle is a delivery truck, a moving van or a customer's car. Because the rule sits inside the adopted Model Traffic Code rather than the general municipal code, violations are handled as civil, not criminal, matters.
Violations & Fines
Under § 11.06.020, all Model Traffic Code violations, including overstaying the 25-minute alley loading window, are civil traffic infractions rather than criminal offenses, and § 11.06.030 sends contested tickets to the municipal judge, associate municipal judge, or a judge-designated referee for parking-infraction hearings rather than a jury trial.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a delivery truck sit in the alley behind a business?
Is overstaying the alley loading limit a criminal offense?
Who decides a contested alley-parking ticket?
Does the 25-minute rule apply anywhere besides alleys?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Longmont
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Loading Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Boulder County handle loading zones.