How close to the curb must you park, state by state?
Every state’s answer, and the District of Columbia’s, from its own manual or code: 46 have a rule on this, quoted below with where it is written; 5 say nothing on it.
Statutes fetched between 5 and 9 October 2026; manuals fetched between 6 September and 4 October 2026. How the answers are made
| State | The rule | Where it is written | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | In Arkansas, if you park on the roadway, park your vehicle as far away from traffic as possible; if there is a curb, park as close to the curb as possible. | Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, p.41 | 4 Oct 2026 |
| California | Begin turning the steering wheel away from the curb when your rear wheel is within 18 inches of it, and finish parallel and within 18 inches of the curb. | California Driver’s Handbook, p.26 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Colorado | Where parallel parking is permitted your vehicle must be within 12 inches of the curb, or as close as possible to the outside edge of the shoulder, so traffic is not blocked or slowed. | Colorado Driver Handbook, p.14 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Connecticut | Do not park more than one foot from the curb. | Connecticut Driver's Manual, p.37 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Delaware | When parking on a two-way Delaware highway, you must park parallel to and within 12 inches of the curb or edge of the road. | Delaware Driver Manual, p.91 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| District of Columbia | When parallel parking on a two-way street, you must park parallel to and within 12 inches of the curb. | DC Driver Manual, p.75 | 16 Sep 2026 |
| Florida | Park parallel to the curb in the direction of traffic, with the right-hand wheels within 12 inches of the curb or the side of the roadway. | Official Florida Driver License Handbook, p.65 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Hawaii | In Hawaii you must not park more than 12 inches from the curb. | State of Hawaii Driver’s Manual, p.28 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Idaho | When parking on a public road you must park parallel to and within 18 inches of the curb or edge of the roadway, facing the same direction as traffic on your side. | July 2026 Idaho Driver's Handbook, p.80 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Illinois | On a street with two-way traffic a vehicle must be parked with the right-hand wheels parallel to and within 12 inches of the curb. | Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.35 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Indiana | (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) and except where angle parking is permitted by local ordinance for streets under local control and by order of the Indiana department of transportation on streets and highways in the state highway system, including routes through cities and towns, a vehicle stopped or parked upon a roadway where there is an adjacent curb must be stopped or parked with the right-hand wheels of the vehicle parallel with and within twelve (12) inches of the right-hand curb. | Indiana law, Ind. Code § 9-21-16-7(a) | 7 Oct 2026 |
| Iowa | When you park at a curb, park within 18 inches of the curb or closer. | Iowa Driver's License Manual, p.21 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Kansas | A Kansas vehicle may not be parked more than 12 inches from a curb. | Kansas Driving Handbook, p.19 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Kentucky | A Kentucky driver parking along a roadway parks as far from the flow of traffic as possible, and as close to the curb as possible where there is one. | Kentucky Driver Manual, p.44 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Louisiana | When parallel parked, the vehicle's right wheels must be within 18 inches of the right-hand curb. | Class D & E Driver's Guide, p.70 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Maine | When done parking, you should be about 6 inches from the curb, and not more than 18 inches away. | Maine Driver’s License Manual, p.72 | 4 Oct 2026 |
| Maryland | On a two-way road you must park parallel to the right-hand curb, with your right-hand wheels within 12 inches of it. | Maryland law, Md. Code, Transp. § 21-1004(a) | 5 Oct 2026 |
| Massachusetts | Parking in a business or residential district means your vehicle must be no more than 12 inches from the curb, unless angled parking is allowed. | Massachusetts Driver's Manual, p.109 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Michigan | Never park more than 12 inches from the curb. | What Every Driver Must Know, p.38 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Minnesota | When you parallel park, the wheels nearest the side of the road must be no more than 12 inches from the curb. | Minnesota Driver’s Manual, p.35 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Mississippi | When parked parallel, your tires should be within 12 inches of the curb. | Mississippi Driver's License Manual, p.61 | 4 Oct 2026 |
| Missouri | When parking during the driving test you are tested on parking no more than 18 inches from the curb. | Missouri Driver Guide, p.20 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Montana | When parking on a roadway, your vehicle must be within 18 inches (1.5 feet) of the curb or shoulder. | Montana Driver Manual, p.44 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Nebraska | Park within 12 inches of and parallel to the curb or road's edge. | Nebraska Driver’s Manual, p.56 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Nevada | The legal parking position is with the front and rear wheels within 18 inches of the curb. | Nevada Driver Handbook, p.48 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| New Hampshire | II. Except when otherwise provided by local ordinance, every vehicle stopped or parked upon a one-way roadway shall be so stopped or parked parallel to the curb or edge of the roadway, in the direction of authorized traffic movement with its right-hand wheels within 12 inches of the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, or its left-hand wheels within 12 inches of the left-hand curb or edge of the roadway. | New Hampshire law, N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 265:71(II) | 8 Oct 2026 |
| New Jersey | A parked vehicle's tires should be no more than six inches from the curb. | New Jersey Driver Manual, p.58 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| New Mexico | Do not park more than 18 inches from the curb. | New Mexico Driver Manual, p.13 | 4 Oct 2026 |
| New York | In the final parking position a driver's wheels must be no more than one foot from the curb. | New York State Driver's Manual, p.42 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| North Dakota | When parallel parking in North Dakota, your wheels should be parallel to the right-hand curb and within 1 foot of it. | North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, p.25 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Ohio | A parked vehicle faces the direction of traffic on its side of the street, parallel to and no more than twelve inches from the right curb, though on one-way streets either curb may be used. | Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws, p.29 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Oklahoma | Unless signs prohibit parking or the curb is painted yellow, you may park parallel to any curb, within 18 inches of the curb. | Oklahoma Driver Manual, p.47 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Oregon | Park in the direction vehicles are moving in the lane, parallel to and no more than 12 inches from the curb, or as close as possible to the edge of the shoulder where there is no curb; where parking areas are marked your wheels must be within the marked space. | 2026-2027 Oregon Driver Manual, p.68 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | If the street has a curb you must park as close to it as you can, but no more than 12 inches away; with no curb, pull as far off the road as possible. | PA Driver's Manual, p.52 | 6 Sep 2026 |
| Rhode Island | On a two-lane road, a parked car's right wheels must be no more than 12 inches from the right side of the road or curb. | Rhode Island Driver’s Manual, p.33 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| South Carolina | When parking along a roadway, do not park more than 18 inches from the curb or edge of the pavement. | South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.86 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| South Dakota | When a parallel park is finished, the vehicle should be within 12 inches of the curb or edge of the road. | South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.44 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Tennessee | When stopping at a curb to park, move to within 18 inches of the curb. | Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.29 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Texas | On a road that allows two-way traffic a driver must park with the vehicle's right-hand wheels within 18 inches of the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway. | Texas Driver Handbook, p.44 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Utah | A vehicle finishing a parallel park should be no more than 12 inches from the curb. | Utah Driver Handbook 2026-2027, p.33 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Vermont | A vehicle parked on a two-lane road must have its right wheels within 12 inches of the right side of the road or curb, and it must face the same direction as the traffic flow. | 2025 Vermont Driver's Manual, p.29 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Virginia | When you park next to a curb, you may not park more than one foot from it. | Virginia Driver's Manual, p.22 | 6 Sep 2026 |
| Washington | A parked vehicle must be no more than 12 inches from the curb. | Washington State Driver Guide, p.144 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| West Virginia | When you parallel park on a two-way street, the right-hand wheels should be parallel to and within 18 inches of the right curb. | West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, p.47 | 6 Sep 2026 |
| Wisconsin | A parallel parked car should finish about a foot from the curb and at least 2 feet from the vehicles in front and behind. | Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, p.20 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Wyoming | (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section every vehicle stopped or parked upon a two-way roadway shall be stopped or parked with the right-hand wheels of the vehicle parallel to and within eighteen (18) inches of the right-hand curb or as close as practicable to the right edge of the right-hand shoulder. | Wyoming law, Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 31-5-512(a) | 9 Oct 2026 |
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No rule found
No rule found in the manual or code of: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina.
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