Bellingham, WA Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Driveway buffer
- 5 feet from curb cut
- Wrong-way parking
- Barred on opposite-direction sections (A)(26)
- Immediate impound
- If driveway ingress/egress is blocked
- Time limit default
- 72 hours without a posted sign
- Civil penalty
- $60.00 (BMC 11.33.230(C))
- Curb distance
- Right wheels within 12 inches of curb
Summary
Bellingham bars parking in front of a driveway or within five feet of its curb cut, and bars parking facing the wrong direction on a one-way-facing section of street, under BMC 11.33.060(A)(11) and (A)(26). A driveway-blocking vehicle may be impounded immediately if it obstructs ingress or egress.
A. Except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or official traffic control device, no person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle: ... 11. In front of a public or private driveway or within five feet of the end of the curb leading thereto. A vehicle in violation of this provision may be impounded immediately in the manner provided by this title for unauthorized vehicles if such vehicle obstructs ingress or egress to or from the driveway; ... 26. On that portion of any street lawfully set aside for the movement of traffic in the direction opposite to that which the parked vehicle faces;
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-06-015, passed June 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
060(A), lists specific places where a vehicle cannot stop, stand, or park absent a traffic officer's direction or an official traffic control device. ' Subsection (A)(26) separately bars parking 'on that portion of any street lawfully set aside for the movement of traffic in the direction opposite to that which the parked vehicle faces,' the city's wrong-way parking rule. 070(A) requires a stopped vehicle's right-hand wheels to sit within 12 inches of the curb on a two-way street. 060 also makes it unlawful to erase a chalk mark a parking enforcement officer places on a tire without first moving the vehicle out of the block, a tool used to track how long a vehicle has occupied a space. 220.
Violations & Fines
Blocking a driveway or parking against traffic flow is a civil infraction under BMC 11.33.060, penalized at the standard $60.00 rate set by BMC 11.33.230(C). A vehicle obstructing a driveway's ingress or egress may be towed immediately at the owner's expense under the impound authority in BMC 11.33.060(A)(11), without waiting for the normal 15-day citation-response period. Citations may be contested by notifying municipal court within seven days under BMC 11.33.220.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my neighbor park in front of my driveway in Bellingham?
Is parking facing the wrong way illegal in Bellingham?
How long can I leave a car parked on a Bellingham street?
What's the fine for a driveway-blocking or wrong-way parking ticket?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellingham
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