Charlottesville, VA Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Driveway buffer
- no parking in front of driveway
- Fire hydrant buffer
- 15 feet
- Intersection buffer
- 20 feet from curb lines
- Blocking-driveway fine
- $20 (doubles to $40)
- Wrong-way curb parking
- banned, § 15-136(a)
- Violation type
- traffic infraction
Summary
Charlottesville bars parking in front of driveways, near fire hydrants and intersections, and facing the wrong way against traffic. City Code § 15-129 sets the driveway and hydrant buffers, § 15-136(a) bans wrong-way curb parking, and blocking a driveway alone draws a $20 fine under § 15-149(e).
No person shall park a vehicle or permit it to stand, whether attended or unattended, upon a street in front of a private driveway, or within fifteen (15) feet in either direction of a fire hydrant or the entrance to a fire station, or within fifteen (15) feet of the entrance to a building housing rescue squad equipment or ambulances, provided such building is plainly designated, or within twenty (20) feet from the intersection of curb lines or, if none, within fifteen (15) feet of the intersection of property lines at an intersection of streets. ... (a)It shall be unlawful for any person to park a vehicle with the left side of such vehicle next to the curb in such a manner as to have such vehicle facing the flow of traffic in the lane of traffic nearest to the curb at which such vehicle is parked. ... Blocking driveway 20.00 40.00
Full Breakdown
City Code § 15-129 prohibits parking, attended or not, 'in front of a private driveway,' within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or fire-station entrance, within 15 feet of a rescue-squad building entrance, within 20 feet of an intersection of curb lines, or within 15 feet of an intersection of property lines where there is no curb. Separately, § 15-136(a) makes it unlawful to park with the vehicle's left side against the curb so that it faces oncoming traffic in the nearest lane, the city's wrong-way parking ban, and § 15-137 bars double parking abreast of another vehicle already parked.
Signs control additional restrictions: §§ 15-138 through 15-141 let the city post no-parking zones, time-limited zones and hour-restricted zones, and § 15-142 bars stopping or parking a vehicle on a street to sell it or to display advertising. Every violation of the parking article is a traffic infraction under § 15-148, payable without a court appearance under § 15-149, and the published fine schedule at § 15-149(e) prices a blocking-driveway ticket at $20, doubling to $40 if unpaid after 96 hours.
Violations & Fines
Parking in front of a driveway, too close to a hydrant, or facing the wrong way against traffic is a traffic infraction under § 15-148, not a criminal offense. The blocking-driveway fine is $20, doubling to $40 if not paid, mailed and postmarked, or placed in the courtesy box within 96 hours per § 15-149(b) and (e); a general 'no parking' violation runs $25, doubling to $50. Three or more unpaid tickets make the vehicle subject to towing under §§ 15-301 and 15-302.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a ticket for blocking someone's driveway in Charlottesville?
Is it illegal to park facing the wrong way against traffic?
How close to a fire hydrant can I park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charlottesville
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