Lexington, KY Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)

Unlike many smaller Kentucky cities that ban all overnight on-street parking, Lexington generally allows residents to park on the street overnight subject to posted signs and specific zone restrictions. Downtown Lexington has metered and time-limited zones that convert to free parking after meter hours but often retain 2-hour or other limits even at night. Some residential permit parking zones near the University of Kentucky campus (Aylesford, Elizabeth Street area, and parts of Kenwick) restrict overnight or daytime parking to residents with valid decals. When LFUCG declares a snow emergency, parking is prohibited on designated snow emergency routes so that plows can clear roads; vehicles left on those routes can be towed at owner expense. Commercial vehicles over a certain weight or with commercial signage are barred from overnight parking on residential streets under separate ordinance provisions. Abandoned vehicle rules (see abandoned vehicles) apply to any vehicle parked in the same on-street spot for more than 72 hours without moving. HOA private streets often impose stricter overnight rules enforced by towing contracts. Residents planning extended absences should alert neighbors or move vehicles off-street to avoid abandoned-vehicle tagging.