Iowa City, IA Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)

Iowa City's on-street parking framework combines state statute and local ordinance. Iowa Code §321.358 (Stopping, standing or parking prohibited in specified places) establishes statewide minimums - no parking within 5 feet of a driveway, 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, 30 feet of a stop sign or traffic-control signal, on sidewalks, in front of driveways, on bridges, or in tunnels. Iowa Code §321.236 grants cities authority to regulate local parking. The Iowa City Code layers local restrictions on top through the Traffic provisions, which authorize specific block-by-block prohibitions, time-limited parking, loading zones and residential permit zones - notably the Calendar Parking program in older neighborhoods near the University of Iowa, where parking switches sides of the street on odd/even days, and several formal residential permit zones around the campus and downtown. Iowa City Transportation Services operates the City's meters, the ParkMobile mobile-pay system, manages permit programs, and runs the public parking ramps including Capitol Street, Dubuque Street, Tower Place, Chauncey Swan, Court Street Transportation Center and Harrison Street. Snow ordinance designations are activated by the City Manager during winter storms and require vehicles to be removed from designated streets during the emergency. Contested tickets are handled by Iowa City Transportation Services.