Franklin, TN Parking Rules: Oversized Vehicle Parking (2026)

Franklin's Title 15 (Motor Vehicles, Traffic and Parking) does not include a citywide weight or length cap on residential-street parking. Instead, oversized vehicles - box trucks, RVs, fifth-wheel campers, large trailers, flatbeds, semi-tractors - are subject to the same layered authorities as any other vehicle. First, Tennessee Code Annotated 55-8-160 prohibits stopping, standing, or parking within 7.5 to 15 feet of a fire hydrant (the city picks the exact distance within that range), within an intersection, on a crosswalk, on a sidewalk, in front of a public or private driveway, within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, within 30 feet of a flashing signal or stop sign, alongside another vehicle, or in other enumerated locations. Oversized vehicles often run afoul of these restrictions because of their footprint, particularly on narrow downtown and residential streets. Second, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen has used its authority under Section 15-618 of the Franklin Municipal Code to adopt specific no-parking-anytime zones on individual streets (BOMA ordinances during 2024-2026 included new no-parking zones on streets such as Alpha Drive), and the parking citation procedure is in Section 15-703 (most recently amended by Ordinance 2024-12). Third, on private property, the City of Franklin Property Maintenance Code prohibits keeping any inoperable or unlicensed motor vehicle on any premises - indicators include being inoperable under its own power, missing wheels, lacking inflated tires, being burned throughout, or having more than one window broken - and prohibits parking on the lawn; vehicles must be on an approved parking pad or driveway. Title 14 (Zoning and Land Use Control) of the Franklin Municipal Code further regulates outdoor storage of recreational vehicles and trailers on residential lots and caps the share of a residential lot that may be paved for parking. Violations of the Property Maintenance Code carry a 30-day cure period after a Notice of Violation, then potential abatement at the owner's expense, a property lien for invoices unpaid after 45 days, and a Municipal Court citation with each day of continued violation treated as a separate offense. The downtown two-hour Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. limit on Main Street between 1st and 7th Avenues effectively eliminates long-term oversized-vehicle storage in the historic core; the two free 300-space public garages are also not appropriate for oversized vehicles given the 24-hour maximum stay and head-in-parking requirement.