North Charleston, SC Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Time limit on a street
- Twenty-four (24) hours maximum (Sec. 11-21)
- Travel lane to leave open
- At least ten (10) feet of roadway width (Sec. 11-23)
- Painted spaces
- Park entirely within the lines (Sec. 11-20)
- Posted restrictions
- Failure to obey is illegal (Sec. 11-34(b))
- General penalty
- Fine up to $500 or up to 30 days, or both (Sec. 1-10(a))
- Mailbox access
- Parking that blocks delivery access is barred (Sec. 11-29.1)
Summary
In the City of North Charleston, no vehicle can stay parked on any street longer than twenty-four hours, and every parked vehicle must leave at least ten feet of roadway open to traffic. Painted spaces must be used entirely within the lines, and posted municipal parking restrictions are enforceable under Sec. 11-34.
Whenever lines have been painted to indicate parking spaces, vehicles shall be parked entirely within those lines. ... No person shall park a vehicle on any street for a period longer than twenty-four (24) hours. ... No person shall stop, stand or park any vehicle upon a street in such a manner as to leave available less than ten (10) feet of the width of the roadway for the free movement of vehicular traffic, except that a driver shall stop when necessary in obedience to traffic regulations or traffic signs or signals or a police officer. ... (a)The department of public works, with the concurrence of the mayor's office, is hereby empowered the erect parking restriction signs governing the terms and conditions of use of municipal parking spaces. (e.g., two (2) hour parking only, loading zone only, drop off only, etc.). In no event shall such signs be erected where a city street abuts county owned property.(b)Failure by a motorist to abide by municipally posted restrictions is hereby declared illegal.(c)Enforcement shall be subject to S.C. Code 1976, § 56-5-2600.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 11, Article II of the North Charleston Code of Ordinances sets the everyday on-street parking rules. Sec. 11-21 bars anyone from parking a vehicle on any street for a period longer than twenty-four (24) hours, so a car left in one spot for a full day is in violation even if it is legally parked in every other respect. Sec. 11-20 requires vehicles to sit entirely within the lines wherever lines have been painted to indicate parking spaces.
Sec. 11-23 protects the travel lane. No person can stop, stand or park a vehicle on a street so as to leave less than ten (10) feet of the roadway width available for the free movement of vehicular traffic. The only exception is a driver who has to stop in obedience to traffic regulations, signs, signals or a police officer.
Sec. 11-34 covers posted restrictions. The department of public works, with the concurrence of the mayor's office, is empowered to erect signs setting the terms of use of municipal parking spaces, such as two hour parking only, loading zone only or drop off only. The section adds that signs are never to be erected where a city street abuts county owned property. Failure by a motorist to obey a municipally posted restriction is declared illegal, and enforcement is subject to S.C. Code 1976, § 56-5-2600.
Sec. 11-29.1 separately forbids stopping, standing or parking in a public street or right-of-way in a way that blocks delivery vehicles from reaching streetside mailboxes or newspaper receptacles. Sec. 11-1 adopts the state traffic law in Title 56, Chapter 5 of the Code of Laws, 1976 as part of the chapter wherever the chapter is silent, so state rules fill gaps in the city text. The city's chapter 11 has no section devoted to blocking a private driveway or to wrong-way parking by name.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 11 sections on parking do not print their own penalty, so the general penalty in Sec. 1-10(a) applies: a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both. Under the same section each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. Violations of posted restrictions under Sec. 11-34 are enforced through S.C. Code 1976, § 56-5-2600, and cases are heard in the municipal court established by Chapter 12.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can I leave a car parked on a North Charleston street?
How much of the road has to stay open when I park?
Do I have to park inside the painted lines?
What is the penalty for breaking a parking rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in North Charleston
Compare North Charleston to another location·View the South Carolina parking rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Street Parking Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Charleston County handle street parking limits.