Portland, ME Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Curb clearance
- wheels within 18 inches of curb
- Driveway buffer
- no stopping within 5 feet
- Direction
- must face direction of traffic
- Driveway-block fine
- $30.00 (on complaint)
- Wrong-way fine
- $40.00
- Enforcement
- Parking Division, Ch. 28
Summary
Portland requires every vehicle parked on a public street to sit parallel to the curb, headed in the direction of traffic, with its curb-side wheels within 18 inches of the roadway edge: no nose-in, backed-in against traffic, or double-parked spots. The code separately bars stopping within five feet of any driveway apron, protecting access for residents and emergency vehicles alike.
Sec. 28-52. Parallel parking; exceptions. No person shall stand or park a vehicle in a roadway other than parallel with the edge of the roadway, headed in the direction of traffic, and with the curb-side wheels of the vehicle within eighteen (18) inches of the edge of the roadway, except upon those streets which have been marked or signed for angle parking... Sec. 28-53. Stopping, standing or parking prohibited at specific locations... (b) In front of or within five (5) feet of the intersection of the side lines of a public or private driveway with the nearest roadway edge of pavement;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Section 28-52 of the Traffic and Motor Vehicles chapter sets the base rule for how a car must sit at the curb: parallel, facing with the flow of traffic, curb-side wheels within 18 inches of the edge, unless the block is marked for angle parking. Parking backwards against the flow, or double-parked away from the curb, violates this section outright. " That five-foot buffer applies to public and private driveways alike, so blocking a neighbor's access counts the same as blocking a business entrance. The same section stacks on other no-park zones relevant to the same stretch of curb, within 25 feet of an intersection, 10 feet of a fire hydrant, and 20 feet of a crosswalk center, all enforced together by the city's parking control officers under Chapter 28.
00 fee for parking against the flow of traffic. The traffic engineer administers the citywide traffic schedule referenced throughout the chapter, and the parking division, created under Section 28-43, issues tickets, collects fines, and manages the residential parking permit program that layers onto these base rules on posted streets.
Violations & Fines
Parking against traffic direction or within five feet of a driveway is a ticketable offense under the city's parking fine schedule (Sec. 28-51): $40.00 for parking against the flow of traffic, $30.00 for a driveway-blocking complaint. Parking control officers and police issue citations; unpaid tickets escalate under the city's general parking-enforcement provisions in Chapter 28.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park facing oncoming traffic in Portland?
How close to a driveway can I park in Portland?
What's the fine for blocking someone's driveway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
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