Bessemer, AL Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Time limit
- 24 continuous hours
- Applies to
- areas listed on city traffic schedule
- Enforcement
- Bessemer Police Department
- Consequence
- declared obstruction, subject to impoundment
- Division
- Ch. 106, Art. III, Div. 3
Summary
Bessemer bans leaving a vehicle standing continuously on a public street for more than 24 hours in areas listed on the city traffic schedule, effectively limiting extended overnight and multi-day street parking.
No person shall park any vehicle or allow any vehicle to stand continuously for more than 24 hours upon the public streets of the city in the territory described in the city traffic schedule.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Republication).
Full Breakdown
Bessemer Code of Ordinances Sec. 106-166, found in Article III, Division 3 of the traffic and vehicles chapter titled "Twenty-Four-Hour Parking," states that no person shall park any vehicle or allow any vehicle to stand continuously for more than 24 hours upon the public streets of the city in the territory described in the city traffic schedule. ban. The 24-hour clock is tied to continuous standing in one location, so moving a vehicle within the 24-hour period resets the count under the plain text of the section.
This division sits alongside the article's other duration rules: Sec. 106-96 backs enforcement with a presumption that the registered owner of a vehicle found in a parking violation committed or authorized it, shifting the burden of proof to the owner. Once a vehicle exceeds the 24-hour limit in a covered area, Sec. 106-290 treats an unoccupied vehicle parked in a manner or for a length of time prohibited by any section of the chapter as a declared obstruction and public nuisance, authorizing any Bessemer police officer to have it removed to the city's impound depository.
The traffic schedule referenced in Sec. 106-166 is maintained separately by the city and identifies which specific streets and territories the 24-hour cap applies to, rather than applying uniformly to every street in the city.
Violations & Fines
Leaving a vehicle standing on a covered public street for more than 24 continuous hours violates Sec. 106-166 and is punishable under the general municipal penalty at Sec. 1-8; the vehicle may additionally be declared an obstruction under Sec. 106-290 and towed to the city impound depository at the owner's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a car sit on a Bessemer street before it's a violation?
Does moving my car reset the 24-hour parking clock in Bessemer?
What happens if my car is left too long on a Bessemer street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bessemer
How Bessemer compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·Compare Bessemer to another location·View the Alabama parking rules overview
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Overnight Parking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jefferson County handle overnight parking.