Bothell, WA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Base limit
- 24 hours on a highway or on private property without permission
- Lawfully parked limit
- Up to 72 hours on the highway
- Signed streets
- No parking beyond the posted time or between posted hours
- Sign requirement
- Restriction is not effective unless signs are in place
- Parking penalty
- $40.00 per violation, each day separate
- Permit cap
- Never more than seven consecutive hours in one location
Summary
In the City of Bothell, Washington, a vehicle left on a highway is limited to 24 hours, and a lawfully parked vehicle can stay up to 72 hours. Signed streets add their own posted time and hour limits under Bothell Municipal Code § 10.40.030, and no restriction takes effect unless signs are in place. The parking penalty is $40.00.
No person shall leave or permit a vehicle to remain on any highway or private property without the permission of the owner longer than 24 hours; provided, however, said vehicle may remain on the highway not to exceed 72 hours if it is lawfully parked. ... When signs are erected on any street, or portion thereof, giving notice of a limitation of a period of time for parking, no person shall stand or park a vehicle for longer than the designated period of time prescribed, or between the hours designated on such sign or signs, upon the designated streets. ... Whenever by this title any parking time limit is imposed or parking is prohibited in certain streets, it shall be the duty of the traffic engineer to erect appropriate signs giving notice thereof, and no such restriction shall be effective unless said signs are erected and in place at the time of the alleged offense.
Full Breakdown
Bothell does not run a citywide clock-hour overnight ban in the sections quoted here; time limits come from the 24-hour and 72-hour rule and from posted signs.
Section 10.30.060, headed "Abandoning vehicles unlawful," states that no person shall leave or permit a vehicle to remain on any highway or private property without the owner's permission longer than 24 hours, and that a vehicle can remain on the highway not to exceed 72 hours if it is lawfully parked. Section 10.10.040(A) defines "highway," "road" and "street" as synonyms covering every way, lane, road, street, boulevard and parking lot in the city, public or private, open at any time to public vehicular travel.
Section 10.40.030 covers signed streets. When signs are erected on a street or portion of it giving notice of a limit on parking time, no one can stand or park longer than the designated period, or between the hours designated on the sign. Section 10.40.020 adds that where signs give notice, no one can park on the designated streets at any time.
Signs are a condition of enforcement. Section 10.40.040 makes the traffic engineer, who is the public works director under § 10.10.050, responsible for erecting appropriate signs, and states that no time limit or prohibition is effective unless the signs are in place at the time of the alleged offense. Section 10.40.010 adds that a time limit does not excuse anyone from other, more restrictive rules for specific places or times.
Residents on posted blocks can use a residential parking permit under Chapter 10.45, which exempts a specified vehicle from citation for exceeding the posted time limit in its zone, but never for more than seven consecutive hours in one location (§ 10.45.010(A)).
The penalty for each violation of Chapters 10.30, 10.40 and 10.45 is $40.00 under § 10.60.027, and each day or part of a day is a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Each violation of Chapter 10.30, 10.40 or 10.45 in the City of Bothell carries a $40.00 penalty under § 10.60.027 unless a different penalty is established, and each day or part of a day is a separate offense. Parking that leaves a vehicle in place beyond the 24-hour or 72-hour limit in § 10.30.060 falls under the same penalty provision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I leave a car on a Bothell street?
Is parking on a Bothell street overnight banned?
What is the fine for overstaying a time limit?
Does a residential permit let me park all night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bothell
How Bothell compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·Compare Bothell to another location·View the Washington parking rules overview
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Overnight Parking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle overnight parking.