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Some communities that regulate front lawn parking
Utica, NY
New Hartford, NY
Town of Henrietta, NY
Akron, OH
Beaumont, TX
Birmingham, AL
Bethel Park, PA
Burlington, VT
Lincoln, Oakdale, Rancho Cordova, Rocklin, Roseville, San Dimas and Sacramento, all in CA
Maplewood, MN
New Port Richey, FL
Norfolk, VA
Raleigh, NC
Shreveport, LA
Tupelo, MI
Winston-Salem, MA
Windsor, Canada
PARKING BAN NEWS STORIES URLS
Norfolk, VA
The Virginian-Pilot
Ban on lawn parking in Norfolk bogs down
It's a practice prohibited by law, which holds cars can't park on the "unimproved surface" of a front or side yard. The law is enforced with a parking ticket by police, zoning or property maintenance officials.
Birmingham, AL
VIEWPOINTS: Proposed front-yard parking ban will clear blight
http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2010/01/viewpoints_proposed_front-yard.html
What's the definition of a vehicle?
A: A motorized vehicle is any vehicle that is required to be registered and licensed by the state of Alabama in order to be driven on a public street. This ordinance also includes the prohibition of parking/placing recreational vehicles, boats, trailers or other wheeled or similar conveyances on the front yard of a residence or business unless it is located on a properly permitted and installed driveway or parking lot (for commercial locations).
Port Arthur, TX
Port Arthur moves to ban front-lawn parking
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Port-Arthur-moves-to-ban-front-lawn-parking-
Beginning in December the city of Port Arthur will begin enforcing its ordinance prohibiting people from parking in front yards, Community Services director Lawrence Baker said.
The penalty is a fine up to $2,000.
Instead, people can park either in the street or on the side of their home.
New Port Richey, FL
Over objections, New Port Richey council moves to restrict parking in yards
The ordinance does allow for parking off a main driveway, either parallel to a driveway or in a side yard.
But any such area must also be covered with concrete, asphalt, pavers, mulch, shell or gravel. Existing regulations in the code mandate that no more than 60 percent of a property can be paved.
Burlington, VT
https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/CodeEnforcement/Yard-Parking
Parking on lawns, yards, walkways, greenbelts and right-of-ways is prohibited by City Ordinance Sec. 20-62, 20-156 and other regulations.
Why enforcement of the lawn parking ban is important:
Preserving outside green space like lawns, sidewalk "green belts" and tree and planting areas is important because they beautify our neighborhoods, muffle noise, clean the air, give oxygen, slow down storm water and make a healthy environment for all of us.
Erosion of green space has been shown to increase run-off of toxic products. This "non-point source pollution" has been cited by the EPA as a major contributor to pollution of lakes and waterways.
Preservation of grassy areas helps to keep Lake Champlain clean and healthy. Please do your part for the Lake!
Vehicles in Violation are Subject to Towing and Fines Apply.
Please phone our office at (802)863-0442 if you have questions or need assistance - we are here to help.
We appreciate your cooperation.
Bethel Park, PA
http://www.thealmanac.net/article/20170727/NEWS/170729973
Ban on front lawn parking in Bethel Park to be considered
Supporters of the ban argue that front lawn parking make some areas of the community look unkempt and may affect neighboring residents’ property values. Council has been discussing the issue off and on for about three years.
“I think it’s time” to make a decision, council President Tim Moury said during the township’s committee meeting July 24. “We either want to do it or we don’t.”
Bethel Park, PA
http://www.thealmanac.net/20170815/council_passes_ordinance_to_ban_lawn_parking
Council passes ordinance to ban lawn parking
Updated: August 15, 2017 11:21 am
Cars and front lawns don’t mix in Bethel Park.
Council voted Aug. 14 to enact an ordinance forbidding residents from parking on unpaved areas of their front lawns. The law will take effect Sept. 14.
Council has been working on the issue for the past three years or so. Councilman Jim McLean said several constituents approached him, saying that some neighbors’ practice of parking on their front
lawns make the neighborhood look like a junkyard.
Other residents, who feel they have special circumstances, can ask the municipality for a special parking permit.
Winston-Salem, MA
Neighborhood Gets Ban on Front Yard Parking
Winston-Salem has passed its first ever ban on people parking in their front yards.
City council approved the move after a petition drive in the Stonewall neighborhood, off Indiana Avenue.
Roxanne and Richard Littlejohn live there, and already have a hard time figuring out where to park on their cul-de-sac.
Sixty percent of the residents signed a petition calling for the ban. They're tired of the ruts in yards and mud in the streets.
"They’ll get notices letting them know that it has been approved as a 'no parking on the lawn area,' and we'll include a copy of the ordinance," said Stephanie Stimpson with the City of Winston-Salem.
This is the first time the city has approved a ban of folks parking in their front yards since an ordinance was approved in 2012 that allowed neighborhoods to seek a ban.
Violations could face a $150 fine or paying a percentage of costs, if the city has to take action again them
Morehead, KY
Front yard parking ban changes who’s liable
http://www.themoreheadnews.com/news/local_news/front-yard-parking-ban-changes-who-sliable/
article_dbcf53b1-c0f5-5164-810f-107bc87a2b1b.html
The ordinance is an amendment to parking regulations in the city and “provides a penalty for parking in the front yard setback area” of residences.
“The first three violations are $25 and at the third violation the landlord is notified,” Carew said. “It lessens the burden on the landlord and puts it on the person parking. It doesn’t mean you can’t wash your car on the front lawn it just means that if it’s persistently parked there the code enforcement officer can be notified.”
“There are many gravel driveways, many of which are attractive, but going forward the new driveways that are built will need to be paved or covered by an approved hard surface,” Carew said. “Not the
entire driveway, but the part that is in the setback area and the setback area is defined as the front yard between the house and the road.
“Existing gravel driveways are grandfathered in but existing homes that are built would have to have hard surface,” Carew said.
City of San Dimas, CA
http://www.cityofsandimas.com/ps.developmentservices.cfm?ID=2474
The San Dimas Code Enforcement Division has identified the top 10 most common violations in an effort to help our residents understand how to promote and maintain a quality living environment.
RVs Parking in Front Yard RVs, trailers, boats, and camper shells are not allowed to be parked in front yard driveway. They must be parked in the side or rear yard, and behind main building line of house.
Vehicle Parked on Unpaved Surface
Vehicles must be parked on a paved surface.
Roseville, CA
Roseville OKs ban on front lawn parking
http://www.kcra.com/article/roseville-oks-ban-on-front-lawn-parking/6427713
"The intent really there is to make sure that we promote economic development and preserve our residential neighborhoods by preserving the aesthetics and promoting having landscaping in your front yard areas," Roseville's Development Services Director Kevin Payne said.
Sacramento, along with Rocklin, Lincoln and Rancho Cordova, also have similar rules.
Lehigh Valley, PA
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2016/10/this_city_just_banned_parking.html
Stay off the grass: The city that banned parking on lawns
October 19, 2016 at 7:15 AM
Cars must be parked on a parking pad or driveway if parked in front of a home or owners face fines of $50-$100 for a first-time violation.
Homeowners can park cars temporarily on a lawn in a a residential area for one hour per week for loading or unloading items.
"But for those of us who see it every day, the problem isn't rare," Ward said. "It's trashy and it's hurting our neighborhood and our property values."
Councilman Michael Colon disagreed with Waldron. He noted that when he worked for the city health bureau, he enforced rules that grass can't be more than 12 inches high. It is a quality-of-life issue similar to that.
Shreveport, LA
Shreveport Council Approves Ban on Parking in Front Lawn
http://www.ksla.com/story/7065953/shreveport-council-approves-ban-on-parking-in-front-lawn
Councilman Calvin Lester sponsored the parking resolution and said similar bans on parking in the yard have worked wonders in other cities across the country. "Neighborhoods started to be cleaned-up, neighborhoods started to look better, property values started going up and that's what we're trying to do."
Brooklyn, NY
No more pave-'n'-park lawns
New York's front yards are slated to get endangered species protection this week when a new zoning rule bars homeowners from paving their entire lawn to make room for cars.
Homes will be required to keep 20% to 50% of their front yards covered with greenery, a reaction to parts of Brooklyn and Queens where yards have become vistas of concrete.
Raleigh, NC
A long-awaited city ordinance banning people from parking on the grass in front of their homes was finally approved by the city council Tuesday. The new law only applies to special overlay districts, the
first of which will likely target areas around NC State University.
The front-yard parking ordinance, which councilors have had on the table for several years, prohibits people from using their front yard as additional parking space when there is no driveway or on-street
parking available. Those who want to add additional parking would have to construct a paved surface no larger than 40 percent of the front yard.
Oakdale, CA and Stanislaus County, CA
Bee Investigator: Hey, you cars — get off the lawn
http://www.modbee.com/news/local/article3178215.html
Every other city in Stanislaus County has some version of a lawn parking ban and usually includes boats, trailers, campers and the like.
In Oakdale, the vehicle must be “on driveways or other impervious surfaces.” Patterson tells its residents not to park in “landscape areas, or directly upon the ground.
Tupelo, KY
http://www.djournal.com/news/local/tupelo-front-lawn-parking-ban-approved/article_ffb4509c-3308-
Tupelo front lawn parking ban approved
TUPELO – A ban on parking in residential front yards includes not only automobiles but now also four wheelers and other recreational vehicles, according to clarifications and changes approved this week by the City Council to the Development Code ordinance.
The new additions would change “automobile” to “vehicles, including recreational vehicles.”
The code defines a front yard as “The yard between a building and the front lot line, extending across the entire width of a lot, between side lot lines.”
The side yards of corner lots are also treated as front yards.
Maplewood, MN
Vehicle Issues
http://www.ci.maplewood.mn.us/310/Vehicle-Issues
Recreational Vehicles
Boats, campers, small utility trailers, snowmobiles, three/four wheelers may be parked either in the side or rear yard of a property as long as they are setback at least 5 feet from lot lines, surrounding buildings, fences, etc.
If the property is a corner lot, they may not be parked in the side yard of the property closest to the
street. RV's may also be parked in an established driveway or approved hard surface as long as they are properly licensed and operable. If you intend to expand your parking area, you must contact engineering before doing so at 651-249-2400.
Commercial Vehicle Parking City ordinance prohibits any large commercial-type truck or trailer ("1-ton" or larger) to be parked or to stand continuously on any residential property or on any public street in the city (Chapter 36-261, 44-6, 44-101 to 44-102).
Parking in Yards
No person may park or place any motor vehicle in the front yard setback yard area of any lot within the
city, except in permitted parking areas. A permitted parking area is one which consists of concrete,
asphalt, paving blocks, gravel or another surface approved by the city (Chapter 18-33(23)).
Vehicles "For Sale"
"For Sale" vehicles cannot be displayed in any area other than the resident’s established driveway. They may not be placed on the grass or in the street.
Akron, OH
http://fox8.com/2015/03/18/new-akron-parking-ban-causing-controversy-among-residents/
AKRON - Some Northeast Ohio residents will need to watch where they park, even in their own yards.
A new ordinance goes into effect, limiting where people can put their vehicles or other large items, like boats.
"A couple of residents have called me about maybe big-sized boats or vehicles being parked on the grass and I started forwarding those complaints downtown. And then I found out we didn't have an ordinance for that," said Akron city councilman Donnie Kammer.
Windsor, CA
Front Yard Parking Ban Enforced
March 7, 2017
http://www.citywindsor.ca/Newsroom/Pages/Front-Yard-Parking-Ban-Enforced.aspx
In December of 2016, City Council passed the addition, “No Front Yard Parking” to the parking by-law.
The definition of a front yard in the by-law is as follows: a yard extending across the width of a lot between the front lot line and the nearest wall of a main building on such lot in a residential district
except on a driveway or as authorized by statute, regulation, by-law, or otherwise by the corporation.
Tickets for vehicles deemed to be in violation of this section of the by-law will cost owners $25.00.
Windsor, CA
Front Yard Parking
http://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/Traffic-And-Parking/ParkingEnforcement/Pages/Front-Yard-
Effective February 1, 2017, Parking Enforcement will begin issuing tickets to all vehicles (i.e. motorized vehicles, trailers, boats, RVs, etc.) that are parked on their front and/or side yard, and they will continue
to issue tickets to those parked on City of Windsor boulevards. The Front Yard Parking By-law 42 (3) was added to the existing by-law on December 12, 2016.
http://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/Traffic-And-Parking/ParkingEnforcement/Pages/Front-Yard-
Front Yard Definition:
A front yard is defined as "a yard extending across the full width of a lot between the front lot line and the nearest wall of a main building on such lot."
Side Yard Definition:
A side yard is defined as "a yard extending from the front yard to the rear yard between the side lot line and the nearest wall of the main building on such lot."
Boulevard Definition:
The City defines the boulevard as "all parts of the highway save and except any roadway, shoulder, driveway or sidewalk," which means a portion of every road allowance within the limits that is not used
as a sidewalk, driveway, travelled roadway or shoulder.
Historically, the enforcement of parking in the front yards of residential properties has been dealt with by the Building Division under the Planning Act. As a type of land use, the Building Division can charge through the courts property owner(s), in instances where cars or vehicles are parked in front or side yards on the lawn, as opposed to allowable hard surfaces as outlined in the City of Windsor's Zoning Bylaw 8600 (see By-laws Online).
Some things to consider as to why you shouldn't be parking in your front or side yard are as follows:
1. Emergency Vehicles - Parking your vehicle where you think it is a convenience for you may be a hindrance to emergency personnel who may need to save the lives of yourself, a loved one or family
pets.
2. Public Safety - By parking your vehicle where it is not allowed, you may be the cause of sight line. issues for pedestrians or motorized vehicles
3. Unclear Knowledge as to what are you driving over. When you park outside of the allowable hard surfaces, you may cause damage to unseen utilities, e.g. Windsor Utilities water shut-offs, sewer cleanouts, etc. which may lead to backups into basements.
4. Neighbourhood Curb Appeal - Not only does a front lawn look cluttered with vehicles parked on it, but it looks unsightly for the neighbourhood. The damage left behind to lawns adds to the blight of the area.
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