Dothan, AL Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)

Section 98-86(a) sets the default rule for on-street parking in Dothan's business districts and other heavily traveled streets: a vehicle must stand parallel to the roadway, headed in the direction of travel, with its right-hand wheels within 18 inches of the curb or edge of the road, whether or not the space is marked. A driver may park on the shoulder instead, but only if the vehicle sits at least two feet clear of the roadway's edge, unless a sign prohibits it. Where the city has posted signs or painted markings calling for parallel or angle parking on a particular block, § 98-86(b) makes it unlawful to park any other way or to block another driver from parking as directed.

Section 98-87 covers a different problem: using the street or right-of-way for something other than travel and parking. It is unlawful to park or place a vehicle, trailer, mobile home, sign, or other object on any street or right-of-way to display it for sale, lease, or hire, to store it, to use it for advertising, or to work on, grease, or repair it, except emergency repairs; standing, sitting, or walking on a street or right-of-way to advertise a product or service is likewise banned. Section 98-87(c) sends a violation to the city's general penalty in § 1-4 rather than a flat fine, so a driver caught displaying a car for sale on the shoulder faces the same $1.00-to-$500.00 fine and up to six months in jail as any other unspecified Code violation, at the judge's discretion.