Yellowstone County, MT Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Snow storage requirement
- 5% of plowed surface area
- Distance from pavement
- Within 20 feet of plowed edge
- Tree separation
- 4 feet from snow storage areas
- Mulch limit in snow areas
- Under 30% of landscape area
- Scope
- Off-street lots only, not public streets
Summary
New off-street parking lots in unincorporated Yellowstone County must set aside snow storage space equal to five percent of the plowed surface area. The zoning code does not touch on-street parking during snowstorms; it regulates only how private lots are designed to hold the snow their own plows push off the pavement.
1. A portion of the site equal to five percent of the surface areas to be plowed shall be provided as one or more snow storage areas that: (a) Are adjacent to and within 20 feet of the edge of the pavement to be plowed; (b) Are located so as not to interfere with the safe movement of pedestrians and traffic, including outside of any required clear vision areas as identified in Section 27-1812; (c) Are provided with appropriate drainage and where refreezing of any sheet drainage will not pose safety issues; and (d) Remain accessible, useable, and clear of obstructions.
Full Breakdown
Section 27-1206.F requires every off-street parking lot to reserve a portion of the site equal to five percent of the surface area that will be plowed as one or more snow storage areas. Those areas must sit within 20 feet of the pavement edge being cleared, stay outside any clear vision area required at intersections and driveways under Section 27-1812, include drainage that will not create a refreezing hazard, and remain accessible and free of obstructions year-round.
The code also lets a developer use a required bufferyard or interior parking lot landscape island for snow storage instead of a dedicated area, but only if it is planted with salt-tolerant, compaction-resistant plant material, keeps mulch coverage under 30 percent of that landscape area within three years of installation, and separates trees, shrubs, and other woody plants from the snow pile by at least four horizontal feet of grade, or by planters, raised beds, walls, or similar barriers. These requirements are part of the same Article 27-1200 landscaping standards enforced through the zoning compliance permit and final landscape inspection process, not a public right-of-way rule: the county's zoning code contains no alternate-side-of-the-street parking ban, snow emergency route designation, or overnight winter parking curfew for county roads.
Violations & Fines
A parking lot built without the required snow storage capacity, or with plow piles dumped into a clear vision area or against unprotected tree trunks, is a zoning code violation the planning department can flag at final landscape inspection, holding up release of any performance security posted for the project's landscaping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Yellowstone County ban parking on county roads during snowstorms?
Can plowed snow go into the landscaping instead of a separate pile?
How much of my parking lot has to be set aside for snow?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yellowstone County
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