Raleigh, NC Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)

Section 11-2171(a) makes it unlawful to stop, stand, or park on a Raleigh street, alley, or City-controlled parking facility in a manner that obstructs the free movement of traffic. Subsection (b) then lists twelve specific designated places where parking is barred outright, including on sidewalks, within twelve feet of a crosswalk, within twenty-five feet of an intersection or a stop sign, flashing beacon or signal, within fifty feet of a railroad underpass or grade crossing, alongside a street excavation, on a bridge or in an underpass, on the roadway side of another parked vehicle, within fifteen feet of a fire hydrant, and, the driveway rule most homeowners run into, within five feet on either side of a private road or driveway, or in any manner that blocks vehicles from entering or leaving it.

Section 11-2179 separately governs how a car must sit once parked: it must be parallel to the curb, headed in the direction of traffic, and within twelve inches of the curb or roadway edge where there is no curb, with angled parking following posted markings where present. That direction-of-travel requirement, the basis for Raleigh's wrong-way parking rule, does not apply on a residentially zoned street of two lanes or fewer with no marked center line. S. 160A-175, and Raleigh's Regulatory/Safety violation tiers group driveway-blocking under § 11-2171(b)(11) as a Safety I violation and crosswalk/sidewalk/hydrant violations as Safety II, reflecting how the City prioritizes enforcement resources.