Raleigh's short-term rental zoning permit requires adequate off-street parking for all guests. Most residential zones require at least one off-street space per bedroom or sleeping room, with overflow not permitted to block sidewalks or create congestion in residential streets. On-street parking in Inside-the-Beltline neighborhoods such as Oakwood, Mordecai, Boylan Heights, and parts of Five Points is often restricted to permit-holders under the Raleigh Residential Parking Permit program, and those permits cannot be used by STR guests. HOAs and downtown condo associations frequently impose additional parking restrictions.
Raleigh's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) includes short-term rentals as a regulated residential use and imposes standard residential parking requirements at the property. For typical single-family and townhouse STRs, the off-street parking minimum is one space per sleeping room or bedroom, which means a three-bedroom whole-home STR in North Hills, Five Points, or Brier Creek must offer at least three off-street spaces in some combination of driveway, garage, or paved parking pad. Tandem driveway parking counts as long as vehicles can be parked without blocking the public sidewalk or encroaching into the public right-of-way. Gravel or grass 'parking' generally does not count toward the requirement; surfaces must be paved or otherwise suitable for reliable parking.
Many of Raleigh's most popular STR neighborhoods - Oakwood, Mordecai, Boylan Heights, Glenwood-Brooklyn, and Cameron Park - have narrow historic streets where parking is limited and often regulated by residential parking permit (RPP) districts administered by the Raleigh Police Department and Parking Services. Guests without a valid RPP sticker cannot park overnight on those blocks and will be ticketed or potentially towed. Hosts should state clearly in their listing which spaces are available, how to enter the driveway, and explicitly note if street parking is not permitted. HOAs in communities such as Bedford, Heritage Wake Forest-adjacent neighborhoods, and downtown condo buildings - The Hue, 222 Glenwood, Skyhouse, and Quorum Center - often prohibit short-term rentals entirely or restrict STR guest parking to specified spaces. Downtown STRs in condo buildings typically must use an assigned deeded space or reserved guest space inside the garage, and many condo associations require hosts to submit guest vehicle information in advance so the front desk or security can issue a visitor pass. Hosts who fail to provide clear parking instructions routinely receive complaints from neighbors whose driveways or assigned spaces are blocked, and repeated parking violations can lead to HOA fines on top of any city parking citations or towing fees charged to the guest's vehicle.
Specific penalty amounts for this ordinance are not published in a publicly accessible fine schedule. Contact Raleigh code enforcement directly for current fines, enforcement procedures, and hearing options.
Raleigh, NC
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