Parking Rules in Virginia (2026)

Vienna restricts recreational vehicle, boat, and trailer parking on residential property. RVs and boats generally must…

Alexandria bans parking any trailer in any zone except under narrow exceptions, and limits recreational vehicles in…

Motor homes and camping trailers cannot sit on a residential street in Arlington County for more than 5 consecutive…

Fairfax County can bar watercraft, boat trailers, motor homes, and camping trailers from street parking inside…

Loudoun County limits how RVs, boats, and travel trailers sit on residential lots. Under Zoning Ordinance Section…

Boats, travel trailers, RVs and other major recreational equipment can't be lived in while parked in Albemarle County…

RVs, boats, and trailers in Chesapeake may be parked on residential property only in side or rear yards, screened from…

Hampton restricts the parking of recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers on residential streets and in front yards…

Outside the Town of Ashland, Hanover County's RS Single-Family Residential District lets homeowners store a…

In Henrico's residential districts, one travel, utility, or boat trailer may be parked as an accessory use only in a…

Town of Herndon Code §42-160 addresses parking of trailers, semitrailers, boats, and recreational vehicles. RV…

Lynchburg lets homeowners park, but not live in, a travel trailer, boat, truck camper or RV in a residential yard as…

In Montgomery County outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, boats, camping trailers, travel trailers, motorized…

Newport News limits residential lots to two recreational vehicles per dwelling unit, RVs, campers, motor homes, tent…

Norfolk regulates where residents may park recreational vehicles, boats, personal watercraft and their trailers under…

Portsmouth's zoning ordinance bars parking a boat, camper or recreational vehicle anywhere but the side or rear yard of…

RVs, boat trailers, motor homes, and camping trailers may generally be parked on private property, but the County can…

Richmond bars parking or storing any recreational vehicle, a category the zoning code defines to include boats and boat…

Roanoke allows an RV, boat, or trailer to be parked or stored (not lived in) on a residential lot if it's currently…

Stafford County bans parking or leaving unattended a watercraft, boat trailer, motor home or camping trailer on a…

Suffolk allows a recreational vehicle to be parked in a home's driveway or back yard, but it cannot be lived in while…

Virginia Beach requires recreational equipment, boats, RVs, campers, trailers, stored on residential lots to sit behind…

Hampton requires cars and commercial vehicles parked in a single-family, two-family, or duplex street frontage yard to…

Alexandria zoning caps how much of a required yard can be used for cars. Section 7-1005 keeps a front, side, or rear…

County Code sec. 13-62 bars keeping inoperable motor vehicles or trailers in residential yards or driveways unless…

Single-family homes in the R-1 through R-4 districts must park in the front yard on a surfaced area capped at 25% to…

In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, off-street parking lots and driveways generally…

Hanover County limits where a homeowner can park a recreational vehicle, boat, or utility trailer at home. Section…

You may not park on someone else's private lot without the owner's consent, and once a lot is posted no-parking…

Single-family detached homes in Loudoun County's Suburban Zoning Districts must park vehicles on a paved surface…

In Montgomery County outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, § 10-41 limits front-yard parking to the area covered by a…

Norfolk bars parking or storing any motor vehicle on an unimproved surface, dirt or grass included, in the front yard…

Portsmouth limits most single-family detached lots to one driveway per block face, with an exception for circular…

Prince William County bars keeping an inoperable vehicle in a driveway, carport, or anywhere outside a fully enclosed…

Richmond caps driveways through a front yard at nine feet wide for single- and two-family dwellings, and bars a…

Roanoke bars parking on turf or landscaped areas that denudes the soil, treating it as an unpermitted parking area…

In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), off-street parking areas generally…

In Suffolk, vehicles may not block a sidewalk or park within 15 feet of a private driveway on the street, and new…

Virginia Beach requires all off-street parking areas, including single-family driveways, to be paved in concrete…

Albemarle County bars parking any commercial or recreational vehicle, portable storage container, or dumpster on state…

Arlington County bans parking commercial vehicles, defined as 12,000+ pound trucks, 16-plus passenger vehicles, hazmat…

Fairfax County bars parking commercial vehicles, trailers and semitrailers on residential streets under Section…

In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, the Zoning Ordinance bars parking…

Hampton bans commercial vehicle parking in residential districts except one vehicle under 6'4" tall and 11'6"…

Loudoun County bans most oversized and commercial vehicles from parking in residential neighborhoods within Urban and…

Lynchburg bars any vehicle over 7,500 pounds gross weight, other than a passenger car, pickup, or panel truck, from…

Newport News bans parking on residential streets any vehicle over 20 feet long, 8 feet wide, or 8 feet tall between 7…

Norfolk bans parking or storing trucks, buses, trailers, tow trucks, dump trucks and similar commercial vehicles…

Prince William County bans parking or leaving unattended any commercial vehicle, from dump trucks to 16-plus-passenger…

Richmond bans parking any motor vehicle over 6,500 pounds empty weight, plus any trailer, semitrailer or motor home, on…

In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), a truck or commercial vehicle…

Spotsylvania County bans parking any commercial vehicle, trailer or semitrailer on or adjacent to county roads…

Virginia Beach bans commercial vehicles over 20 feet long, 7 feet tall, or one ton from parking in residential and…

Alexandria bars parking trucks, buses, vans and other commercial vehicles on residential streets, with a narrow…

Chesapeake prohibits parking buses over nine passengers, trucks over one ton, detachable tractors, major recreational…

Chesterfield County Code § 13-42 bans parking a dual-tire truck over 6,000 pounds, or any trailer, semitrailer or…

Parking a tractor-trailer, dump truck, or other commercial vehicle on a public highway next to residentially zoned…

Henrico bans parking oversized commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds gross weight, and any commercial trailer or…

In Montgomery County outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, a residential lot may park no more than one commercial…

Portsmouth bans parking motorbuses, vans, trucks, trailers, and semitrailers on residential streets overnight. City…

City Code § 20-71 bars parking a commercial motor vehicle, truck, bus, tow truck or similar, on a residential street or…

Stafford County bars parking or leaving unattended a commercial vehicle on a public highway in a residence district…

Suffolk limits trucks, trailers, semitrailers, and commercial buses to one hour on residential streets unless actively…

Outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, parking any automobile, truck or other automotive equipment on or alongside a…

Albemarle County Code § 9-102(A) bars parking or stopping on sidewalks, in front of driveways, within 15 feet of a fire…

Alexandria bars parking in front of a private driveway, within five feet of an alley, within 20 feet of an…

Arlington County bans stopping, standing or parking on sidewalks, crosswalks, and within intersections, plus fixed…

Chesapeake's Sec. 74-243(a) lists 20 specific places where parking is always illegal, from blocking a driveway or…

Chesterfield County Code § 13-41 lists 22 specific ways a vehicle can be illegally parked on public property, from…

Fairfax County bans parking on sidewalks, within 10 feet of driveways, 20 feet of intersections and crosswalks, and 15…

Frederick County's general parking restrictions, set out in § 158-4, ban double-parking, blocking a driveway, parking…

Hampton bars stopping, standing or parking on sidewalks, in front of driveways, within intersections, or within 15 feet…

Henrico prohibits parking an unlicensed vehicle on any public street, roadway, or alley, and bars parking in signed…

Loudoun County bans parking within 20 feet of a curbed intersection, blocking driveways, parking facing traffic on the…

Lynchburg requires every parked vehicle to sit parallel to the curb, facing the direction of travel, with its wheels…

Norfolk bans parking in specific high-conflict spots under City Code § 25-280: within three feet of a driveway, within…

Portsmouth requires vehicles to park close and parallel to the curb, facing with traffic, never against it. City Code §…

Prince William County lists 14 specific places where parking is always off-limits, from sidewalks and driveways to…

Richmond bars parking on sidewalks, in front of driveways, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, within 20 feet of a…

City Code § 20-65 bars parking on sidewalks, within 5 feet of a driveway, in intersections, within 15 feet of a fire…

Spotsylvania County bans parking on sidewalks, in front of driveways without the owner's permission, within…

Stafford County bans parking on public streets, roads, or county property in more than a dozen situations, from…

Suffolk sets street parking by signage and City Code Sec. 86-106: no parking on sidewalks, within 15 feet of a hydrant…

Virginia Beach bans parking in front of driveways, on the left side of two-way streets, and in fire lanes or…

Newport News requires vehicles to stop close to and parallel with the curb, generally with the right side to the curb…

Lynchburg prohibits parking any vehicle built or used to haul caustic, flammable, explosive, or otherwise dangerous…

Stafford County zoning defines overnight parking as 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. and uses that window to restrict where commercial…

City Code § 5-8-82 lets Alexandria post 'restricted overnight parking district' signs banning any vehicle not…

Chesapeake makes it unlawful to leave a vehicle parked on any public street for more than 48 hours straight under Sec…

Overnight parking in Loudoun County's own parking garages and surface lots is prohibited except for County employees…

Portsmouth outlaws leaving any vehicle on a public street for more than 48 hours. City Code § 22-566(a) makes every day…

Roanoke doesn't ban overnight parking outright, but City Code § 20-67(d) makes it unlawful to leave any vehicle parked…

Roanoke County caps how long a vehicle can sit on a public street: § 12-52(a) bars parking or standing in one spot on…

In areas designated for residential permit parking, Virginia Beach bans overnight on-street parking from 6:00 p.m. to…

Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors can designate specific secondary-road blocks as restricted-parking zones under…

Virginia law prohibits homeowner and condominium associations from banning electric vehicle charging stations on a unit…

Alexandria EV chargers need an electrical permit (and possibly a structural permit) via APEX. In the two…

Arlington County fines up to $25 for parking in a marked electric-vehicle charging space if the vehicle isn't a plug-in…

Fairfax County allows EV charging stations as an accessory use, but residential chargers are limited to residents and…

Loudoun County requires EV charging infrastructure only when a development triggers a parking adjustment, sits in an…

Virginia Beach permits residential Level 1 and Level 2 EV chargers as accessory electrical installations under the…

Portsmouth lets any off-street parking lot include electric vehicle charging spaces, and those spaces count toward the…

Roanoke allows electric vehicle charging stations to encroach into the front yard but requires an evergreen landscaping…

Chesapeake permits residential Level 2 EV charger installations with an electrical permit from Development and Permits…

Norfolk encourages EV charging infrastructure. Residential Level 2 chargers require a simple electrical permit. Public…

Richmond permits residential Level 2 EV charger installation with an electrical permit, and the city operates public…

Virginia statutes define abandoned vehicles, authorize removal from public and private property, and govern the lien…

Chesapeake defines abandoned vehicles under City Code Section 70-195 as vehicles left on public property over 48 hours…

Richmond classifies vehicles as abandoned after 72 hours on public property or if inoperable, unlicensed, or partially…

Suffolk prohibits keeping an inoperable vehicle on residential or commercial property unless it is inside a building or…

Under Va. Code section 46.2-1200 and Virginia Beach City Code Chapter 21, a vehicle is considered abandoned if left on…

In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, storing an inoperable motor vehicle or trailer…

Hampton bans keeping an inoperable vehicle on residential property unless it is inside an enclosed building or fully…

Lynchburg bans keeping an inoperative motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer outdoors and visible on residential…

Roanoke treats a vehicle as abandoned if it's inoperable on public property for more than 48 hours, illegally on public…

Albemarle County Code § 9-113 lets the Chief of Police direct the removal and disposal of an abandoned motor vehicle…

Alexandria can order a vehicle towed once it becomes an 'abandoned motor vehicle' or sits unattended past the code's…

Arlington County police can tow any motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer left unattended on public or private…

Under County Code sec. 13-64, a vehicle lacking current plates or a valid inspection sticker that stays in one place…

Fairfax County police can tow any vehicle left unattended over 15 days without moving 300 feet, or lacking current…

Hanover County bans keeping an inoperable motor vehicle in the open on residentially or agriculturally zoned property…

A motor vehicle left unattended on public property in violation of law for more than 48 hours, or on private property…

Town of Herndon Code §§42-261–42-265 prohibit abandoning motor vehicles. Inoperable/abandoned vehicles may be cited and…

Loudoun County bars keeping an inoperable vehicle in plain view on residential, agricultural or commercial land unless…

Outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, a vehicle is presumed abandoned under Sec 6-55 once it has sat in one spot for…

A vehicle over 75 pounds is abandoned in Newport News if left 48 hours unattended on public property, or 48 hours on…

Norfolk declares vehicles abandoned after 48 hours on public property or 10 days on private property without owner…

Portsmouth treats any vehicle left inoperable and unattended on public property for more than 48 hours, or on private…

Under Virginia law an abandoned motor vehicle left unattended over 48 hours in violation of law, or on private property…

Roanoke County can tow an unattended or abandoned motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer off public or private property…

Keeping an inoperable vehicle in plain view on residential, commercial or agricultural property is a declared public…

Stafford County presumes a motor vehicle abandoned once it lacks a current license plate or valid inspection sticker…

Fairfax County spells out exactly how fire lanes must be painted: yellow, highway-grade paint on every curb or paved…

Where the fire official requires a designated fire apparatus access road, Lynchburg's fire code mandates permanent NO…

On county-owned or county-leased property outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, Sec 6-54.1 bars standing, stopping or…

Norfolk marks its no-stopping, no-parking, limited-parking, valet, courier and no-bus-parking zones by painting the…

It is unlawful to park within any loading zone marked by signs or curb markings in Albemarle County under Code §…

Alexandria limits designated loading zones to immediate, continuous loading or unloading of freight or passengers…

Arlington County caps loading zone stops at 30 minutes. Section 14.2-38.3 reserves marked loading zones for commercial…

Chesapeake curb loading zones are reserved for actual loading, unloading, pickup or delivery of materials during the…

Fairfax County restricts marked curb loading zones to active loading and unloading during posted hours, and requires…

In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, the Zoning Ordinance requires business and…

Non-residential uses in Hampton must provide off-street loading spaces at least 10 by 25 feet, with the zoning…

In a designated curb loading zone, no one may stop, stand, or park except for the expeditious loading or unloading of…

Loudoun County ties commercial loading space counts directly to gross floor area under Table 7.06.09-1: none required…

Lynchburg caps active loading and unloading in a marked loading zone at 30 minutes while zone restrictions are in…

In Montgomery County outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, any new building or use, or any expansion of one, must…

Newport News loading zones are set by the traffic engineer and marked as no-parking loading zones; parking there…

Norfolk marks curb loading zones under City Code § 25-282(3) to reserve curbside space exclusively for loading and…

Portsmouth restricts curb loading zones to actual loading and unloading. City Code Sec. 22-572 bars parking there…

In Prince William County, a marked curb loading zone is reserved for actual loading and unloading, not general parking…

Richmond curb loading zones cap non-loading parking at 30 minutes; vehicles actively unloading or picking up materials…

City Code § 20-65(a)(8) reserves designated loading zones for active loading and unloading only; § 20-67(f) lets a…

In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), commercial buildings must provide…

Spotsylvania County's zoning ordinance requires every new commercial, industrial or institutional building to provide…

Stafford County's Zoning Ordinance requires every use that receives or ships materials by vehicle to provide off-street…

Curb spaces marked as loading zones in Virginia Beach are reserved strictly for actively loading or unloading materials…

Arlington County's Residential Permit Parking (RPP) Program, County Code §§ 14.2-98 to 14.2-104, lets the County…

Fairfax County lets residents petition for Residential Permit Parking Districts that require a county decal to park…

Lynchburg lets residents petition to turn a residential block into a permit parking district when outside vehicles clog…

Portsmouth's city manager may create residential parking districts to keep non-resident commuters off crowded…

Prince William County lets residents petition the Board of County Supervisors to bar watercraft, boat trailers, motor…

Virginia Beach designates residential permit parking areas near meter-regulated zones; overnight parking from 6 p.m. to…

Alexandria posts residential permit parking (RPP) district signs once a block qualifies under City Code § 5-8-72…

Hampton residents on a qualifying block can petition for two-hour parking signs plus resident permits under §§…

Loudoun County creates Residential Permit Parking Districts under Chapter 490 to restrict on-street parking in…

Newport News' Residential Permit Parking Program (RPPP) lets residents petition to exempt their block from posted time…

Norfolk lets residents and business owners petition the city manager to create a parking-permit district under City…

Richmond lets neighborhoods petition for a residential restricted parking district covering at least ten contiguous…

Roanoke's city manager can designate any block or street, including inside the downtown service district, as a parking…

Virginia puts the ceiling on a nonconsensual tow in the Code itself rather than in an agency tariff. Va. Code §…

Virginia Beach writes its own towing price list instead of leaning on the Virginia default. A non-consent tow of a…

Fairfax County caps a trespass tow at $210.00 hookup for a passenger car and $610.00 for anything over 10,000 pounds…

When Newport News police order a tow, City Code Sec. 26-17 caps what the driver can be billed: no more than $150 to tow…