Where You May Not Park
G.S. 20-162 — a private driveway, 15 feet from a hydrant, 25 feet from the curb lines, and the fire lane
The places the section names. No person parks a vehicle or permits it to stand, attended or unattended, on a highway in front of a private driveway, within 15 feet in either direction of a fire hydrant or the entrance to a fire station, or within 25 feet from the intersection of curb lines or, if there are none, within 15 feet of the intersection of property lines at an intersection of highways. Local authorities may by ordinance decrease the distance from a fire hydrant.
| The place | The distance |
|---|---|
| The placeIn front of a private driveway | The distanceNo parking or standing |
| The placeA fire hydrant, in either direction | The distance15 feet, unless a local ordinance decreases it |
| The placeThe entrance to a fire station | The distance15 feet |
| The placeThe intersection of curb lines | The distance25 feet |
| The placeThe intersection of property lines, where there are no curb lines | The distance15 feet |
The fire lane. No person parks a vehicle or permits it to stand in any area designated as a fire lane on any public vehicular area, street, highway or roadway, including designated fire lanes in shopping center or mall parking lots. Persons loading or unloading supplies or merchandise may park temporarily in a shopping center or mall fire lane as long as the vehicle is not left unattended.
Removal from a fire lane. The owner of a vehicle parked in a fire lane is deemed to have appointed any State, county or municipal law enforcement officer as agent to arrange for its transportation and safe storage, and an officer removing it is not held liable unless the officer's conduct amounts to wanton misconduct or intentional wrongdoing.
Cities, counties and posted signs set their own parking limits on top of these, and those are not on this page. What a particular ticket means is a question for a licensed North Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- G.S. 20-162 — Parking in front of private driveway, fire hydrant, fire station, intersection of curb lines or fire lane
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed North Carolina attorney.