Prince William County, VA Parking Rules: Preferential Parking Districts (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code § 13-320.1
- Vehicles covered
- Watercraft, boat trailers, motor homes, camping trailers
- Notice period before violation
- 10 days after posted notice
- Service exception
- Up to 72 hours while being serviced
- New-zone petition threshold
- 51% of affected residents/owners
- Excluded areas
- Towns, Quantico base, Forest Park
Summary
Prince William County lets residents petition the Board of County Supervisors to bar watercraft, boat trailers, motor homes and camping trailers from parking on secondary roads in their neighborhood. County Code § 13-320.1 requires a 51%-of-property petition, a public hearing, and ten days' posted notice before any restriction takes effect.
(a)Restricted parking. No watercraft, boat trailer, motor home (as defined in Code of Virginia, § 46.2-100), or camping trailer (as defined in Code of Virginia, § 46.2-100), shall be parked upon any part of the secondary road system within any restricted area set forth in subsection (c) herein, ten days or later after notice is given pursuant to subsection (b) herein. However, a watercraft, boat trailer, or motor home may be parked within a restricted area after the expiration of the ten-day period for up to 72 hours while such watercraft, boat trailer, or motor home is being serviced...(d)Petition to create restricted area.(1)The board of county supervisors may designate areas for restricted parking for watercraft, boat trailers, motor homes and camping trailers upon any part of the secondary road system within the county if it deems appropriate, upon Receipt of a petition addressed to the supervisor representing that magisterial district and signed by a majority of the residents and/or owners of affected property; and After a public hearing.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 46 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
1(a) bars watercraft, boat trailers, motor homes and camping trailers from secondary-road parking inside a designated restricted area once ten days have passed after the county posts notice on the vehicle, though a watercraft, boat trailer or motor home can still park for up to 72 hours while being serviced. Subsection (b) requires the chief of police to physically post that notice on the vehicle itself, stating the restriction, that maps are available at the Department of Public Works, and that the vehicle must be removed within 10 days.
Subsection (c) already designates one large restricted area covering the county's southeastern quadrant (bounded by Cedar Run, Aden Road, Bristow Road, Route 234, Minnieville Road, Spriggs Road, Hoadly Road and the Occoquan Reservoir, including the Riverfalls Subdivision and Meadowbrook Woods), while expressly excluding the incorporated towns, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Prince William Forest Park. To add a new restricted area, subsection (d) requires a petition from a majority (at least 51 percent) of residents or owners of property fronting or within 500 feet of the road, or a certified request from a property owners' association board acting under an association resolution, followed by a Board of County Supervisors public hearing. Enforcement borrows the general parking-citation machinery at §§ 13-335, 13-343, 13-344 and 13-345.
Violations & Fines
A vehicle parked in violation of an established restricted zone is subject to the same parking-citation process as other parking violations: a fine up to $100.00 per offense under § 13-335, doubling if unpaid within 30 days under § 13-344, and towing eligibility once three or more citations go unpaid, per the cross-referenced enforcement sections in § 13-320.1(e).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my neighborhood petition for a restricted parking zone in Prince William County?
How much notice do I get before my boat trailer has to move?
Is there already a restricted parking area in the county?
Can I still park my motor home briefly in a restricted zone for repairs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Prince William County
Compare Prince William County to another location·View the Virginia parking rules overview
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