Memphis, TN Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Memphis Code § 11-40-18 governs use of any curb space "marked as a loading zone": no vehicle may stop, stand, or park there for any purpose other than the "expeditious unloading and delivery or pickup and loading of property," and that stop cannot exceed 30 minutes unless visible, continuously active loading or unloading cannot be finished in that window. A driver may also stop briefly to load or unload passengers, but only if the stop doesn't block another vehicle waiting to enter the same zone to load or unload freight.

Any vehicle standing in a marked loading zone (or a public alley) must keep its hazard flashers running continuously, or the left turn signal if hazards aren't equipped. Loading zones themselves aren't automatic: § 11-40-17 requires a business or the abutting property owner to apply to the city engineer, submit the abutting owners' written consent, and pay an installation fee covering the first year's sign and marking costs, plus an annual renewal/maintenance fee reviewed yearly by the city engineer. A permit is void anywhere parking is or becomes prohibited and can be revoked at any time public safety requires the space back for moving traffic, with a pro-rata refund of the annual fee.

Where a loading zone sits in a former parking-meter space, the fee also reimburses the city for lost meter revenue. Separately, § 11-40-14 exempts trucks and wagons "actually engaged in loading or unloading" from the general ban on parking or obstructing an alley, but that alley loading must still follow the § 11-40-18 use rules, and the vehicle can't block ingress or egress to the alley. 00 forfeiture for the related alley provision, § 11-40-14.