Parking across two spots is not a crime, but yes, it is illegal on public streets in nearly every city, and on private property it can get your car towed. Most local codes treat it as a non-moving infraction: you get a ticket and a fine, not a criminal charge. The consequences get much steeper if one of the spaces you’re straddling is an accessible parking space or its striped access aisle.
Public Streets and Municipal Lots
City and county traffic codes require vehicles on public streets and in municipal lots to fit entirely within the painted boundaries of a single marked space. The wording varies by municipality, but the rule is the same everywhere. Cross the line and you’re in violation. Parking enforcement officers and police can ticket a non-compliant vehicle on sight; no complaint is required.
These are non-moving violations. Nobody is accusing you of reckless driving. The ticket functions like a bill: pay the fine and it’s over. Some jurisdictions also allow a vehicle to be towed from a public street when it obstructs traffic or blocks other drivers from using nearby spaces.
Private Lots Work Differently
In a shopping center, office park, or apartment complex, the parking rules don’t come from the traffic code. They come from the property owner. When you pull in, you’re accepting the owner’s posted terms, and your permission to park is a revocable license the owner can withdraw if you break the rules.
Enforcement looks different too. There are no parking officers patrolling private lots. The owner or a hired management company decides whether to warn you, leave a notice on the windshield, or call a tow truck. Towing is the main tool, and it happens faster than most drivers expect. Many states require conspicuous signage at the lot entrance warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed, along with contact information for the towing company. If the tow truck is still on-site and hasn’t left with your car, most states require the driver to release it, though you may owe a partial “drop fee” for the work already done.
When You Block an Accessible Space or Access Aisle
This is where a careless parking job turns into a serious violation. Accessible parking spaces aren’t just wider versions of ordinary spaces. Federal standards require each one to have an adjacent access aisle, at least 60 inches wide, so people using wheelchairs and mobility devices can get in and out of their vehicles. Van-accessible spaces need either a wider stall (132 inches) or a wider aisle (96 inches) to accommodate ramp-equipped vehicles. These aisles must be clearly marked.1eCFR. 36 CFR Part 1191 – Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities
If one of the two spaces you’ve occupied is an accessible space or its access aisle, you’re blocking someone’s ability to physically reach their vehicle, and every state treats that far more harshly than ordinary improper parking. Fines for illegally occupying or blocking an accessible space typically run from $250 to $500 and can reach $1,000 or more depending on the jurisdiction and whether it’s a repeat offense. That’s a sharp jump from the $25 to $75 fine for a standard parking violation.
What the Fine and Tow Actually Cost
For a standard improper-parking violation on a public street, fines generally fall between $25 and $75 in smaller cities and $50 to $100 in larger metros. Late payment penalties often double the original fine. The ticket itself will state the exact amount and the deadline.
Towing from a private lot is where costs add up fast. The tow itself typically runs $75 to $250, and daily storage fees start accumulating right away, often $20 to $50 per day. Between the tow fee, storage, and administrative charges, recovering a towed vehicle commonly costs $150 to $400 total. If you catch the driver before the truck leaves the lot, most states allow a drop fee (often capped at half the full tow rate) in place of the full tow.
Driving Record and Insurance
A parking ticket is a non-moving violation, and most states do not report non-moving violations on your driving record. No points, no marks, no notification to your insurer. Because insurance companies price premiums off your driving record, a parking ticket by itself almost never triggers a rate increase. That’s true whether the ticket is for double-parking, an expired meter, or any other stationary violation.
The exception is what happens if you don’t pay. Many states refuse to renew your vehicle registration while you have unpaid parking tickets in judgment, and some cities will boot a car that accumulates enough of them, adding a boot-removal fee. If the debt sits unpaid long enough, it can be sent to collections and show up on your credit report. The ticket itself is trivial. Ignoring it is not.
How to Contest the Ticket
Every jurisdiction gives you some way to dispute a parking ticket, and it’s worth using if you have a real defense. The specifics vary, but the structure is predictable: a written review first, then an in-person or written hearing if that decision goes against you, and sometimes a final appeal to a municipal court.
The strongest defenses for a double-parking ticket usually come down to the condition of the lot:
- Faded or missing lines. If the paint was so worn that a reasonable driver couldn’t tell where one space ended and the next began, photograph the markings and submit the images with your dispute. This is the single most effective defense for this kind of ticket.
- Snow, debris, or construction. Lines buried under snow or obscured by construction weren’t visible when you parked. Time-stamped photos taken at the time of parking carry more weight than photos taken later.
- Vehicle size versus space size. Some older lots have spaces narrower than modern vehicles. If your truck physically cannot fit within the lines and no oversized spaces were available, that context can help.
- Errors on the ticket. A wrong license plate number, an incorrect location, or a missing officer signature can be grounds for dismissal in some jurisdictions.
Deadlines matter. Most cities require you to file a dispute within 14 to 30 days of the ticket being issued. Miss the window and you lose the right to contest, even with a perfect defense. The ticket itself, or your city’s parking authority website, will list the exact deadline.