Subchapter X. Stopping, Standing and Parking
TITLE 21
Motor Vehicles
Operation and Equipment
CHAPTER 41. RULES OF THE ROAD
Subchapter X. Stopping, Standing and Parking
§ 4178. Violations of offenses prohibiting stopping, standing or parking.
Any violation of this subchapter or any municipal or county ordinance, code or regulation prohibiting stopping, standing or parking shall be subject to a civil penalty only. Such violation shall not be classified as a criminal offense and shall not qualify as a prior conviction for purposes of § 4218(c)(1)f. of Title 11, whether or not such violation occurred prior to July 10, 2006.
21 Del. C. 1953, § 4177; 54 Del. Laws, c. 160, § 1; 56 Del. Laws, c. 314; 60 Del. Laws, c. 701, § 50; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 75 Del. Laws, c. 405, § 7.;
§ 4179. Stopping, standing or parking.
(a) Upon any highway outside of a business or residential district, no person shall stop, park or leave standing any vehicle, whether attended or unattended, upon the roadway, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or where it is necessary for public utility vehicles to temporarily stop along the highway to make alterations in or repairs to utility facilities, so long as proper traffic-control devices are posted or where it is in compliance with the directions of a police officer or traffic-control device.
(b) Whenever any person authorized to issue a summons under this title finds a vehicle standing upon the highway in violation of subsection (a), (e) or (f) of this section, the authorized person may move such vehicle or require the driver or other person in charge of the vehicle to move same to a position off the highway.
(c) Any person authorized to issue a summons under this title is hereby authorized to remove or cause to be removed any unattended vehicle illegally left standing upon any highway, bridge, causeway, or in any tunnel in such a position or under such circumstances as to obstruct the normal movement of traffic.
(d) Subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall not apply to the driver of any vehicle which is disabled while on the roadway in such a manner and to such an extent that it is impossible to avoid stopping and temporarily leaving such vehicle in such position.
(e) No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or traffic-control device, including all state-owned and/or state leased property; in any of the following places:
(1) On a sidewalk;
(2) In front of a public or private driveway;
(3) Within an intersection;
(4) Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant;
(5) On a crosswalk;
(6) Within 20 feet of a crosswalk;
(7) Within 30 feet upon the approach to any flashing beacon, stop sign or traffic-control signal;
(8) Between a safety zone or island and the adjacent curb or within 30 feet of points on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone or island, unless a different length is indicated by traffic-control devices;
(9) Within 50 feet of the nearest rail or railroad crossing, unless a different length is indicated by traffic-control devices;
(10) Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station within 75 feet of the entrance when properly designated by traffic-control devices;
(11) Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when such stopping, standing or parking would obstruct traffic;
(12) Upon the roadway of any highway when it is practical to stop, stand or park off the roadway;
(13) On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked on the shoulder or at the edge or curb of a highway;
(14) Upon any bridge or other elevated structure upon a highway or within a highway tunnel;
(15) At any place where official traffic-control devices prohibit stopping, standing or parking;
(16) At any place where such parking, standing or stopping obstructs the free passage of other traffic;
(17) Wherever a curb is marked yellow or a yellow line is placed at the edge of a roadway or shoulder;
(18) In the area between roadways of a divided highway, including crossovers;
(19) In any area owned by, leased by or under the control of the State, when such area has been designated by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget as a reserved parking space for members of the General Assembly, their staff, state-owned vehicles, specific state offices or state employees. Such parking spaces will be conspicuously marked as such;
(20) In any areas which in any manner restricts access to or ingress or egress from the areas defined in paragraph (19) of this subsection.
(f) No person shall move a vehicle not lawfully under the person's control into such prohibited area or away from a curb such distance as is unlawful.
21 Del. C. 1953, § 4178; 54 Del. Laws, c. 160, § 1; 56 Del. Laws, c. 74; 57 Del. Laws, c. 541; 57 Del. Laws, c. 670, § 13A; 58 Del. Laws, c. 462; 60 Del. Laws, c. 701, § 51; 66 Del. Laws, c. 384, § 1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 75 Del. Laws, c. 88, § 16(4); 75 Del. Laws, c. 405, §§ 8-10.;
§ 4180. Additional parking regulations; penalty.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, every vehicle stopped or parked upon a 2-way roadway shall be so stopped or parked with the right-hand wheels parallel to and within 12 inches of the right-hand curb or outside edge of the shoulder.
(b) Except when otherwise provided by local ordinance, every vehicle stopped or parked upon a 1-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 outside edge of the shoulder, or its left wheels within 12 inches of the left-hand curb or outside edge of the shoulder.
(c) Local authorities within their respective jurisdictions may, by ordinance, permit angle parking on any highway, except that angle parking shall not be permitted on a federal aid or state highway unless the Department of Transportation has determined that the highway is of sufficient width to permit angle parking without interfering with the free movement of traffic on the roadway.
(d) The Department of Transportation may place signs prohibiting or restricting the stopping, standing or parking of vehicles on any highway where, in its opinion, such stopping, standing or parking is dangerous to those using the highways or where the stopping, standing or parking of vehicles would unduly interfere with the free movement of traffic thereon. Such prohibitions or restrictions may be declared to be effective either part or all of the time, and differing limits may be established for different times of the day, for different types of vehicles, for different weather conditions and when other significant factors differ.
(e) No person shall park a vehicle in any area owned by, leased by or under the control of a retail store and immediately adjacent to such retail store, when such area has been designated by the management of the retail store as a loading zone and is conspicuously marked as such.
(f) Whoever violates this section shall be assessed a civil penalty not less than $10 nor than $25.
21 Del. C. 1953, § 4179; 54 Del. Laws, c. 160, § 1; 57 Del. Laws, c. 670, §§ 13A, 13D; 60 Del. Laws, c. 701, § 52; 61 Del. Laws, c. 168, §§ 1, 2; 63 Del. Laws, c. 350, § 3; 75 Del. Laws, c. 405, § 11.;
§ 4181. Summons for unattended vehicle; civil penalties.
(a) A summons in appropriate form to be adopted by the Department of Public Safety may be attached to an unattended vehicle found in violation of any of the provisions of this subchapter or of any local code or regulation regulating stopping, standing or parking by any officer authorized by this Code or local ordinance, code, or regulation to issue summonses for such violations.
(b) The Department of Public Safety may adopt a schedule of civil penalties, between a minimum of $11.50 and a maximum of $28.75, for all violations delineated in this subchapter.
21 Del. C. 1953, § 4179A; 56 Del. Laws, c. 138; 57 Del. Laws, c. 120; 57 Del. Laws, c. 670, §§ 13A, 13E; 63 Del. Laws, c. 350, § 4; 68 Del. Laws, c. 9, § 34; 74 Del. Laws, c. 110, § 138; 75 Del. Laws, c. 405, § 12.;
§ 4181A. Establishment of voluntary assessment centers for payment of civil penalties for parking; payment by voluntary assessment; procedures for contesting; presumptions; failure to pay or contest.
(a) Establishment of municipal voluntary assessment centers. --
(1) An incorporated city or town may establish a voluntary assessment center for the payment of civil penalties for violations of their respective municipal ordinances, codes or regulations involving stopping, standing or parking.
(2) An incorporated city or town may, by ordinance, establish the amount of the civil penalty for each stopping, standing or parking offense.
(3) An incorporated city or town which establishes a voluntary assessment center may, by ordinance, provide for the imposition of 1 or more increases in the amount of the civil penalty if the fine is not timely paid.
(4) An incorporated city or town which establishes a voluntary assessment center may, by ordinance, provide for a reduction in the amount of the civil penalty due if such civil penalty is paid during a specified time period which is prior to the summons due date.
(b) Payment by voluntary assessment. -- An owner or operator shall pay the amount on the summons to the voluntary assessment center listed on the summons, which center may be either a municipal voluntary assessment center or the Justice of the Peace Court Voluntary Assessment Center. No court costs or other administrative fee shall be assessed if a civil penalty is paid by voluntary assessment. In lieu of payment, an owner or operator may notify the applicable voluntary assessment center, within the time period specified on the summons, that such owner or operator requests a hearing in the Justice of the Peace Court.
(c) Presumptions. --
(1) If any vehicle found to be in violation of this subchapter or any ordinance, code or regulation regulating stopping, standing or parking is unattended at the time the violation is discovered and the identity of the operator is not otherwise apparent, the person in whose name such vehicle is registered as the owner shall be held responsible for such violation, unless the owner can furnish evidence that the vehicle was, at the time of the violation, in the care, custody or control of another person. Such presumption shall be rebutted if the owner:
a. Prior to the due date furnishes to the voluntary assessment center either:
1. An affidavit stating that the owner was not the operator of the vehicle at the time of the alleged violation and provides the name and address of the person, or company who leased, rented or otherwise had the care, custody or control of the vehicle; or
2. Attaches a certified copy of a police report showing that the vehicle or license plate(s) thereof had been reported to the police as stolen prior to the time of the alleged violation; or
b. Provides proof in court that the owner was not the operator of the vehicle at the time of the alleged violation.
(2) A summons may be issued by the prosecuting agency to a person identified by affidavit or evidence in court as the actual operator of the vehicle shown to have violated this subchapter or an ordinance, code or regulation regulating stopping, standing or parking. There shall be a presumption that the person so identified was the driver. The presumption may be rebutted as described in this subsection.
(d) Procedure for contesting. --
(1) A request for a hearing must be made no later than the due date indicated on the summons, which date shall not be sooner than 20 days from the date the summons was issued.
(2) The voluntary assessment center shall notify the Justice of the Peace Court when a hearing is requested. Such notification shall be in accordance with policies and procedures developed by the Justice of the Peace Court.
(e) Failure to pay or contest the violation. -- If the owner or operator:
(1) Fails to respond to the summons on or before the due date in any of the manners permitted by this section, or
(2) Requests a hearing and fails to appear,
the court may, upon motion, enter a default judgment against such owner or operator. However, when the default judgment is sought for a failure to respond to the summons, no default judgment shall be entered until notice by first class mail is sent by the court to such owner or operator providing the owner or operator with 10 days to pay the civil penalty to the court or request a hearing to contest the charge. A default judgment may include any applicable increases in the amount of the civil penalty for failure to timely pay or contest. The applicable city, county, or state agency may seek execution on any judgment entered by the court.
In addition, the applicable city, county or state agency may tow the vehicle if it is located in its jurisdiction and levy on it for the amount of unpaid tickets plus towing charges.
75 Del. Laws, c. 405, § 13; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1.;