• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

What Legally Defines a Parking Space

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

P

plifter

Guest
I got a parking ticket but the nearest parking meter was about 20 ft. behind my car. The spot I was in did not have a meter. When I pulled into the space, there was a small car parked behind me in the metered spot. Well, when that car left I got a ticket for an expired meter despite being more than a car length away from the meter. This happened to me once before and the judge tossed it out. My question is what legally determines the boundary between parking spaces when there are no lines painted to mark them?
 


E

engineer

Guest
Since you didn't provide the state you were in, I don't know the exact laws in your state. However, most state parking laws go something like this:
Except if necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or if in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or traffic control device, a person shall not stop, stand or park a vehicle in any of the following places:

1. On a sidewalk.

2. In front of a public or private driveway, except that this paragraph does not apply to a vehicle or the driver of a vehicle engaged in the official delivery of the United States mail if both of the following apply:

(a) The driver does not leave the vehicle.

(b) The vehicle is stopped only momentarily.

3. Within an intersection.

4. Within fifteen feet of a fire hydrant.

5. On a crosswalk.

6. Within twenty feet of a crosswalk at an intersection.

7. Within thirty feet on the approach to any flashing beacon, stop sign, yield sign or traffic control signal located at the side of a roadway.

8. Between a safety zone and the adjacent curb or within thirty feet of points on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone, unless the director or a local authority indicates a different length by signs or markings.

9. Within fifty feet of the nearest rail or a railroad crossing or within eight feet six inches of the center of any railroad track, except while a motor vehicle with motive power attached is loading or unloading railroad cars.

10. Within twenty feet of the driveway entrance to a fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station within seventy-five feet of the entrance when properly posted.

11. Alongside or opposite a street excavation or obstruction when stopping, standing or parking would obstruct traffic.

12. On the roadway side of a vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street.

13. On a bridge or other elevated structure on a highway or within a highway tunnel.

14. At any place where official signs prohibit standing or stopping.

15. On a controlled access highway except for emergency reasons or except in areas specifically designated for parking such as rest areas.

There is no law that requires parking spaces to be striped. But most times in urban areas there will be signs posted designating where vehicles can park. Make sure there wasn't a sign that said "Park in metered spaces only". There is no legal boundary between each space if not striped, but there is probably a local ordinance stating something to the effect of only one car can park per metered spot. If this is not the case, and you were not parked in any of the areas listed above, then your location could have been a legitimate parking space, which may be why the judge tossed it out last time.
If the meters just stop and there was nothing posted beyond that for no parking, then the limit of the last meter should end about 18 feet from the meter. The standard dimension of an average parking space is 8.5 feet by 18 feet. Best thing is to take pictures of where your car was and bring that with you.
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top