Parking Rules in Rhode Island (2026)
35 rules on the books across Rhode Island, 4 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
RV & Boat Parking
Where you can park recreational vehicles and boats on your property, including front yard restrictions, screening requirements, and size limits.
Pawtucket
Some RestrictionsPawtucket limits residential lots to one boat, boat trailer, travel trailer, camper or similar major recreation…
Read full rule →Providence
Some RestrictionsProvidence requires RVs, trailers, campers, and boats parked in residential yards to sit in a fully enclosed structure…
Read full rule →Warwick
Some RestrictionsWarwick's zoning code lets residents keep campers, travel trailers, tent trailers and boats on a residential lot, but…
Read full rule →Driveway Rules
Requirements for driveway width, materials, and whether you can park on unpaved surfaces or grass in your front yard.
Pawtucket
Some RestrictionsPawtucket regulates driveway construction through building permits and zoning. Vehicles must not block sidewalks…
Read full rule →Providence
Some RestrictionsProvidence's zoning code requires all parking areas to be paved and bars vehicles from sitting on bare dirt, grass, or…
Read full rule →Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Rules about parking work trucks, vans with commercial lettering, and vehicles over a weight or length threshold in residential areas, the thresholds, the exemptions, and the fines.
Cranston
Significant RestrictionsCranston bars commercial vehicles, trucks, campers, buses, trailers, and other large vehicle attachments from parking…
Read full rule →Providence
Significant RestrictionsProvidence City Code § 15-11 treats a vehicle as commercial once it exceeds twenty (20) feet in length and/or six…
Read full rule →Warwick
Significant RestrictionsWarwick's zoning ordinance forbids parking, storing, or garaging any commercial vehicle over 9,900 pounds gross weight…
Read full rule →Pawtucket
Some RestrictionsPawtucket bars heavy trucks from certain posted streets except for local deliveries, and Chapter 388 separately fines…
Read full rule →Street Parking Limits
Time limits for parking on public streets, permit parking zones, and rules about moving your car to avoid tickets.
Cranston
Some RestrictionsCranston bars parking with wheels away from the curb, blocking driveways, hydrants, or crosswalks, and caps overnight…
Read full rule →Pawtucket
Some RestrictionsPawtucket allows on-street parking on both sides of city streets around the clock unless a street is posted otherwise…
Read full rule →Providence
Some RestrictionsProvidence fines overtime parking, driveway blocking, double parking, and parking the wrong way against the curb under…
Read full rule →Warwick
Some RestrictionsWarwick bars parking within 25 feet of a curbline intersection, in bus stop zones, and along more than 260 specifically…
Read full rule →Overnight Parking
Whether cars can be left on the street overnight, including any permit programs and restrictions during street sweeping hours.
Cranston
Some RestrictionsCranston bars parking on any street for more than two hours between 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., with court costs of $20 to…
Read full rule →Pawtucket
Some RestrictionsPawtucket bans vehicles over 10,000 pounds from city streets between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday…
Read full rule →Providence
Some RestrictionsProvidence bans on-street parking citywide from 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., carrying a $20 fine, unless the block is a…
Read full rule →Warwick
Light RestrictionsWarwick generally allows overnight on-street parking citywide, but bans parking longer than two hours between 1:00 a.m…
Read full rule →EV Charging
Rules about installing home EV chargers, running cables across sidewalks, and any incentives or permits required for charging stations.
Rhode Island: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsRhode Island regulates EV charging infrastructure through the State Building Code under RIGL Chapter 23-27.3 and state…
Read full rule →Providence
Some RestrictionsProvidence code bars condo, co-op, and HOA associations from blocking or unreasonably restricting owners who want to…
Read full rule →Abandoned Vehicles
How cities define and handle abandoned or inoperable vehicles on private property and public streets, including removal timelines.
Rhode Island: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsRhode Island General Laws Chapter 31-42, the Abandoned Motor Vehicles law, sets uniform statewide procedures for…
Read full rule →Cranston
Significant RestrictionsCranston bars storing a dismantled, junked or inoperable vehicle in the open on any public or private property without…
Read full rule →Pawtucket
Significant RestrictionsPawtucket bans parking, storing or leaving an abandoned or nonoperational motor vehicle on public or private property…
Read full rule →Providence
Some RestrictionsProvidence bans storing a dismantled, junked, or inoperable vehicle in the open on public or private property without a…
Read full rule →Warwick
Some RestrictionsWarwick police can order the owner of a disabled or abandoned vehicle blocking a public street to remove it, and if the…
Read full rule →Loading Zones
Yellow and white loading zone rules, time limits for commercial and passenger loading, and which vehicles qualify as commercial loaders.
Cranston
Some RestrictionsCranston designates specific street segments as loading zones, each with its own street-side location, length, and…
Read full rule →Pawtucket
Some RestrictionsPawtucket marks passenger and freight curb loading zones under City Code Article XI, and Chapter 388 limits their use…
Read full rule →Providence
Some RestrictionsCommercial vehicles over 20 feet long or 6,500 pounds gross weight can't park or stand on any Providence street for…
Read full rule →Warwick
Some RestrictionsWarwick's city engineer sets the location and hours of loading zones outside doorways and entrances where deliveries…
Read full rule →Preferential Parking Districts
Permit-only residential parking districts, how they're established, who qualifies for permits, and how visitor passes work.
Pawtucket
Significant RestrictionsPawtucket runs two resident-only parking zones: the Memorial Hospital Zone under Chapter 388 Article XIV and the…
Read full rule →Providence
Some RestrictionsProvidence bans street parking from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. citywide, but residents in designated resident permit parking…
Read full rule →Snow Removal Parking Rules
On-street parking bans during declared snow events, alternate-side rules for plow access, and tow/fine schedules in snow-belt cities.
Cranston
Significant RestrictionsDuring a declared snow emergency, Cranston bans on-street parking citywide, and police can tow improperly parked…
Read full rule →Pawtucket
Significant RestrictionsPawtucket bans all on-street parking citywide during a declared winter storm or weather emergency under § 388-29…
Read full rule →Warwick
Some RestrictionsWarwick's director of public works can post snow-removal signs or declare a citywide parking ban on any street to clear…
Read full rule →Towing & Impound Rights
What a towing company may charge and must do when a vehicle is taken without the owner consenting: capped hookup, mileage and storage rates, the drop fee owed if the driver returns before the tow leaves, signage required at private lots, retrieval of belongings left inside, and how a tow gets contested.
Rhode Island: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsRhode Island lets a property owner have a trespassing vehicle towed without going to court, but only through a…
Read full rule →Cranston
Some RestrictionsCranston police cannot boot or impound a parking scofflaw on their own. A judge of the municipal court must sign a…
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