Dothan, AL Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 98-89
- Rule type
- Posted maximum time limit, not fixed citywide hours
- Re-parking loophole closed
- §98-89(2) bars re-occupying overstayed space
- General penalty
- $1.00-$500.00 and/or up to 6 months jail
Summary
Dothan does not set one citywide overnight curfew on street parking; instead, § 98-89 makes it unlawful to leave a vehicle parked beyond whatever maximum time limit is posted for that space, whether that limit runs to a set number of hours or extends overnight. A driver convicted under this chapter is fined per the schedule in § 98-52 or the general penalty in § 1-4.
Any person convicted of a violation of any provision of this chapter shall be fined in accordance with the Alabama Uniform Traffic Citation Law schedule of fines, per section 98-52 or section 1-4, as applicable, unless otherwise noted. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to:( ... 1)Cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle registered in the name of or operated by such person to be parked overtime or beyond the period of the maximum legal parking time established;(2)Permit any vehicle to remain or be placed in any parking space when the vehicle occupying such parking space has already been parked beyond the period of the maximum legal parking time established; or(3)Park any vehicle across any line or markings of a parking space or in such position that the vehicle shall not be entirely within the area designated by such lines or markings.
Full Breakdown
Section 98-89 does not itself state a number of hours; it enforces whatever maximum legal parking time has been established for a given space, which the city sets on a location-by-location basis through posted signs and markings under the traffic engineer's authority in § 98-42. Subsection (1) makes it unlawful for a vehicle's registered owner or operator to leave it parked past that established limit, and subsection (2) separately bars anyone from occupying or permitting a vehicle to remain in a space where the prior occupant has already overstayed the posted limit, closing off simply re-parking to reset the clock.
Subsection (3) adds a related but distinct rule: a vehicle must sit entirely within the lines or markings of a single space, not straddling two. Because Dothan enforces overnight and time-limited parking through signage rather than one blanket ordinance banning all overnight street parking, the actual restriction, whether a two-hour downtown zone or an overnight ban near Fort Novosel's approach roads, depends on what sign is posted at that curb. General traffic-chapter violations are billed under § 98-2's cross reference to the fine schedules in § 98-52 or the general penalty in § 1-4: a fine of $1.00 to $500.00, up to six months in jail, or both.
Violations & Fines
Overstaying the posted maximum parking time, or re-occupying a space someone else has already overstayed, is unlawful under § 98-89, with each of its three subsections a separate offense. Section 98-2 routes the fine through the schedule in § 98-52 where a specific amount applies, or otherwise the city's general penalty in § 1-4: $1.00 to $500.00, up to six months in jail or hard labor, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Dothan ban parking on the street overnight citywide?
Can you avoid an overtime ticket by moving to the next space?
What is the penalty for overtime parking in Dothan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dothan
How Dothan compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·Compare Dothan to another location·View the Alabama parking rules overview
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