Southfield, MI Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Narrow-street trigger
- Roadway 20 ft. wide or less
- One-side trigger
- Roadway 30 ft. wide or less
- Hazard zones
- § 10.716Q, posted where delay/hazard exists
- Sign required
- No citation without a posted, legible sign
- State law layer
- Michigan Vehicle Code adopted by reference
Summary
Southfield's traffic engineer can post no-parking signs on any street narrower than twenty feet across, or on one side of a street narrower than thirty feet, and can rope off separate stopping, standing or parking zones anywhere a hazard or traffic delay warrants it. The restriction only binds drivers once the required sign is actually posted and legible at that location.
The traffic engineer is hereby authorized to erect signs indicating no parking upon any street when the width of the roadway does not exceed twenty (20) feet or upon one (1) side of a street as indicated by such signs when the width of the roadway does not exceed thirty (30) feet. ... The traffic engineer may determine and designate zones where stopping, standing parking is prohibited due to hazardous conditions which may exist or when conditions exist which would cause undue delay to traffic. Such zones shall be designated by posting proper signs at such locations.
Full Breakdown
Sections 10.716N and 10.716Q, in Chapter 126's traffic-control subchapter, give Southfield's traffic engineer authority over two categories of on-street parking limits. Section 10.716N lets the traffic engineer post no-parking signs on any street where the roadway is twenty feet wide or less, or on one side of a street thirty feet wide or less, addressing the narrow residential streets common in the city's older neighborhoods. Section 10.716Q lets the traffic engineer designate broader no-stopping, no-standing or no-parking zones wherever hazardous conditions exist or parking would cause undue delay to traffic, again enforced only through posted signs.
Related sections in the same subchapter round out the on-street scheme: Section 10.716M authorizes no-parking zones adjacent to school property, Sections 10.716O and 10.716P govern standing and parking on one-way streets, Section 10.716R lets the engineer establish tow-away zones at reduced-width locations, construction sites or public events, and Section 10.716Y covers metered parking zones. Because Section 10.717O requires an official sign to be in proper position and legible before any of these sign-dependent sections can be enforced, a driver cannot be cited for violating a restriction that has no posted sign at that location.
Chapter 126 also adopts the entire Michigan Vehicle Code, MCL 257.1 through 257.923, by reference, so state-law parking rules that do not depend on a local sign apply in the city alongside these locally posted restrictions.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 126 does not print a separate parking fine within Sections 10.716N or 10.716Q; violating a properly posted restriction is enforced as a traffic civil infraction, and Section 10.717O bars enforcement altogether where the required sign is not in place and legible at the time and place of the alleged violation. Repeated violations at the same location can support the traffic engineer designating the block a tow-away zone under Section 10.716R.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the city just ban parking on my narrow street?
Do I have to move for a temporary hazard even without a permanent sign?
What if there's no sign posted where I parked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Southfield
Compare Southfield to another location·View the Michigan parking rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.