Tuscaloosa, AL Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Loading zone limit
- 30 minutes (Sec. 22-98(a))
- Delivery zone limit
- 10 minutes (Sec. 22-98(c))
- Freight vehicle exception
- Up to 2 hours with marked signage
- Sign requirement for exception
- 2 ft x 2 ft, business name and phone
- Designating authority
- City engineer or designee (Sec. 22-97)
- Enacted
- Ord. No. 3327, Sec. 1, 11-19-1991
Summary
Tuscaloosa caps loading zone stops at 30 minutes and delivery zone stops at 10 minutes under City Code Sec. 22-98, with a two-hour exception for marked commercial freight vehicles. The city engineer designates the zones under Sec. 22-97.
(a)No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle for any purpose or length of time other than for the expeditious loading or unloading of passengers or materials, in any place marked as a loading zone. In no case, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, shall the stop for loading and/or unloading exceed thirty (30) minutes.(b)Any freight vehicle which displays on each side of the vehicle a sign of dimension not smaller than two (2) feet by two (2) feet containing the name of the business and telephone number of the business will be allowed to park the vehicle in a loading zone for a period of time not to exceed two (2) hours if the parking of the vehicle for the length of time does not interfere with the safe movement of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.(c)No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle for any purpose or length of time other than for the expeditious pickup or delivery of passengers or materials in any place marked as a delivery zone. In no case shall the stop for pickup or delivery exceed ten (10) minutes.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 102).
Full Breakdown
Section 22-97 authorizes the city engineer or designee to designate loading zones and delivery zones by posting appropriate signs; an editor's note confirms Ord. No. 9627, Sec. 11 (June 3, 2025) shifted that authority away from the director of transportation to the city engineer. The operative time limits sit in Sec. 22-98. Subsection (a) bars stopping, standing, or parking in a marked loading zone for any purpose other than expeditious loading or unloading of passengers or materials, and caps that stop at thirty minutes except as provided in subsection (b).
Subsection (b) grants a longer window, up to two hours, to any freight vehicle displaying a sign at least two feet by two feet on each side bearing the business name and telephone number, provided the extended stop does not interfere with safe pedestrian or vehicular movement. Subsection (c) separately governs delivery zones: stops there are limited strictly to expeditious pickup or delivery of passengers or materials and may not exceed ten minutes under any circumstance, with no extended-stop exception comparable to subsection (b). Both zone types were enacted together under Ord.
No. 3327, Sec. 1, adopted November 19, 1991, and remain unchanged since. General parking enforcement rules elsewhere in Chapter 22, including Sec. 22-95's signage requirement and Sec. 22-101's rule that time limits do not excuse compliance with other stricter provisions, apply on top of these zone-specific caps.
Violations & Fines
Stopping, standing, or parking beyond the 30-minute loading zone limit, the 10-minute delivery zone limit, or the 2-hour marked-freight-vehicle exception is a parking violation citable under the general penalty in Sec. 1-8. Vehicles blocking pedestrian or vehicular movement while claiming the extended freight exception lose that exception's protection and may be cited and towed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I park in a Tuscaloosa loading zone?
Is there a way to park longer than 30 minutes in a Tuscaloosa loading zone?
What is the time limit in a Tuscaloosa delivery zone versus a loading zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tuscaloosa
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