Where Is It Illegal to Park A Car In BC? 22+ Places (2022)

Where Is It Illegal to Park a Car?

Some people might be wondering where it’s illegal to park a vehicle in BC. After all, you can’t just park a car anywhere. Although, wouldn’t that be nice?

Let’s go through the rules.

It’s illegal to park a car in BC:

1. Where the curb is painted yellow
2. On the ‘wrong’ side of the road i.e. against traffic direction
3. Where your vehicle obstructs the view of a stop sign or other traffic sign
4. On a bridge
5. In a highway tunnel
6. In a bike lane
7. Within 15 meters of the nearest rail of a railway crossing;
8. Within 6 meters on the approach to a stop sign, a flashing beacon, or traffic control signal located at the side of a roadway;
9. Within 6 meters of either side of the entrance to or exit from a hotel, theatre, public meeting place, dance hall, fire hall or playground in a rural area;
10. Within 6 meters of a traffic light
11. Within 6 meters of a crosswalk
12. Within 6 meters of an intersection
13. Within 5 meters of a fire hydrant – if you want to get technical, this is measured from a point at the curb or edge of the roadway that is closest to the fire hydrant
14. Across the entrance to a public or private driveway
15. Across the entrance to a back lane
16. Across the entrance to an intersection
17. On a sidewalk
18. On a crosswalk
19. On a boulevard
20. In an intersection
21. Where a traffic sign prohibits parking
22. *When parking parallel, make sure your vehicle is within 30 cm (1 foot) of the curb.

Use common sense and be sure to park where it is safe and legal, and where you are not blocking traffic.

Check out the motor vehicle act here to read the laws yourself.

** These rules may vary according to municipal by-laws.

Question: Can I Park My Car Blocking My Own Driveway?

Some people wonder if you’re allowed to park blocking your own driveway. It’s yours, so what’s the problem, right?

It is illegal to park blocking any driveway in BC (and, a lot of other places in Canada and the U.S.), even if it’s your own driveway.

Please note that there is a difference between “No Parking” and “No Stopping” Basically, you can stop the car blocking the driveway if you’re only going to be a few moments. For example, dropping someone off.

But leaving the car there by itself for any amount of time could result in a ticket. Why is this? Well, no one seems to know.

But we can only make a guess about emergency situations and ease-of-access for emergency crews.