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TextTake Care When Parking Your Vehicle
Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
703-324-3187, TTY 703-324-2935, FAX 703-324-2010
July 3, 2003
Take Care When Parking Your Vehicle
Fairfax County wants residents to be aware that they must be mindful of the county and state laws governing the parking of vehicles on county streets. There are laws that many people know well because they have been highly promoted or taught vigorously in driver's education classes. However, there are some other laws that are just as significant but seem to be less widely known.
For instance, did you know that it is illegal to park on the wrong side of the street, or that you are prohibited from selling goods from your car on any state or county roadway? Read on for more details.
As a courtesy to county residents, below is a listing of a few of these lesser known restrictions and what they mean in plain English terms:
Section 82-5-19. Parking for certain purposes prohibited.91
91. For state law authorizing counties to prohibit parking of vehicles
for commercial purposes, see Va. Code Ann. § 46.2-1224.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person:
(1) To park or place any automobile, truck, trailer or other vehicle
upon or in any street, alley or parkway for the purpose of selling or
offering the same for sale or rent;
(2) To attach or place any sign or lettering upon any automobile, truck,
trailer or other vehicle parked in or upon any public street, alley or
parkway indicating that such vehicle is offered for sale or for
rent;
(3) To park any vehicle from which any merchandise is being sold upon
any street in a business district;
(4) To stop a vehicle at any time upon the highway for the purpose of
advertising any article of any kind, or to display thereupon
advertisements of any article or advertisement for the sale of the
vehicle itself. (3-13-69; 1961 Code, § 16-123.)
Plain English: Do not park a vehicle along any roadway or alley and
place a for sale/rent sign in its window. Do not sell merchandise from a
car on a county or state roadway.
Section 82-1-30. Sale of merchandise from vehicles on road rights of way.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to park any automobile, truck or
any other automotive equipment on or along the roads, highways and
streets of the county, or within the rights of way of such roads,
highways and streets for the purpose of selling or soliciting the sale of
or otherwise displaying or offering for sale any goods, wares or other
merchandise in or from such vehicles.
(b) This Section shall not apply to any huckster, peddler or other
person who may travel in any vehicle upon the highways and streets for
the purpose of selling goods, wares, merchandise or services from house
to house and who shall stop his vehicle only for the purpose of making
such house-to-house sales.
(c) Any person who violates any provision of this Section shall be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, punished in
accordance with the provisions of Section 46.2-113 of the Code of
Virginia. (7-5-61; 3-13-63; 1961 Code, § 16-29; 37-76-82;
30-89-82.)
Plain English: Do not park a vehicle along any county or state roadway
or within their rights of way and sell goods from it. This excludes
salesmen who use theirs cars to travel door to door to sell their wares.
Section 82-46.2-889. Location of Parked Vehicles.
No vehicle shall be stopped except close to and parallel to the right edge of the curb or roadway, except that a vehicle may be stopped close to and parallel to the left edge or curb of the roadway on one-way streets or may be parked at an angle where permitted by the Commonwealth Transportation Board or local authorities with respect to highways under their jurisdiction.
Plain English: Only park your vehicle on the right side of the roadway, unless it is a one-way street, where it is permissible to park on either side unless otherwise indicated.
Each of these sections of the code is used to preserve safety and order
for the residents in Fairfax County. This last section of the code
maintains safety on the roads by preventing drivers from pulling out of a
parking space into oncoming traffic. The others maintain the regulation
of commerce by limiting it to safe established locations and prevent
unwitting consumers from being too close to traffic while purchasing
wares. To search the county code for other regulations visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/gov/bos/clerkhomepage.htm.
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