Can I legally park in front of somebody else’s house in Idaho? Here’s what the law says
.jpg "Cars and trucks park on 11th Street in Boise’s North End.")
Have you ever been driving in a local neighborhood and noticed how many cars are parked on the street? Have you ever had trouble fitting two cars in opposite directions on a residential road because so many cars are parked along the street?
A lack of parking is not an uncommon occurrence. Plus, if someone throws a large gathering, you might see cars parked up and down the street. What if there is a nearby school sporting event? Can someone legally park in front of your house? And how long are they allowed to stay there?
Here’s what we know about the law in Idaho about parking in front of someone else’s house.
Parking in front of Idaho property
In most cases, parking along the street in front of someone else’s property is legal. You can’t park on their property without permission, but the road in front of their property is fair game, of course.
Parking cannot obstruct pedestrian traffic. If you have to park partially on a sidewalk, you have to ensure enough space for someone to walk past comfortably. It’s important to consider any disabled passerby who may need additional room for walkers or motorized scooters.
In Idaho, you are prohibited from parking:
Next to a car stopped or parked at the edge of the curb on the side of the street
Completely on the sidewalk
Within an intersection
On a crosswalk
Between a safety zone, which is the safe place for pedestrians in the middle of the road for crossing
Alongside any highway excavation, construction or obstruction
Upon a bridge or within a highway tunnel
On railroad tracks
On a controlled-access highway
Any place where traffic-control devices prohibit stopping
In addition, the Idaho Statutes specifies areas where you can only park or stand still in your vehicle if you pick up or drop off a passenger. These are:
In front of a public or private driveway
Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection
Within 30 feet upon the approach to any flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign or traffic-control signal
Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station on the side opposite the entrance
Within 50 feet of the nearest railroad crossing
Parking regulations in Boise
Unless specifically allowed by a permit, no car may stay parked in a single spot in Boise for 72 hours or longer.
This doesn’t mean you can just move your car up the road every couple of days by a vehicle length. Unless you move your car more than 600 feet from its original parking spot for more than 24 hours, the city considers the car continuously parked.
The same rules apply to any trailer, shipping container, storage container or other nonvehicular items.
Violating these rules can result in a parking services officer or Boise Police Department officer issuing a parking violation, either by attaching it to the car or personally serving it to the vehicle’s owner.
The corresponding fine, which can change depending on where the car is parked, must be paid within 10 days.
You may also be in a residential parking zone, for which you need a permit.
This story was originally published September 28, 2023 at 12:39 PM.
