Where are you allowed to park in Kansas?
Where are you NOT allowed to park?
To answer these questions, you have to know the Kansas parking laws.
And this is why we’re going to tell you everything you need to know, from the parking laws and the penalties to safe parking tips and many more.
You have all things parking in Kansas here.
So let’s dive right in!
Parking Laws in Kansas
According to Kansas law, there are certain areas where you’re prohibited to park. These areas are:
- On the roadway side of any vehicle
- On an intersection or within 30 feet from an intersection
- Within 30 feet from a traffic signal, stop sign, or yield sign
- On a sidewalk
- On a crosswalk or within 30 feet from a crosswalk
- On any controlled-access highway
- On a railroad track or within 50 feet from a highway-railroad grade crossing
- Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
- Within 20 feet of a fire station on the same side of the road
- Within 75 feet of a fire station on the opposite side of the road
- On a driveway, alley, or private road
- On a bridge, overpass, or underpass
- Alongside or opposite a street excavation
- Alongside medians
- In a space allotted for persons with disabilities (unless you have a disabled placard or license plate)
- Any place that has a no parking sign
It’s important to familiarize yourself with these parking laws to avoid penalties.
Now, you may be allowed to park in these areas only if a police officer has directed you to do so or if it’s to avoid conflict with traffic.
Painted Curbs
To make it a bit easier for you, Kansas has painted curbs. The colors on these curbs indicate if you can park or stop.
Let’s take a look at the colors and their meaning:
- White – only shortstops are permitted
- Yellow – only for loading and unloading
- Blue – only for handicaps
- Red – fire zone restrictions
Parking Penalties in Kansas
Parking penalties are given if you park in places where you are prohibited from parking. For example, if you park in a designated space for persons with disabilities without a placard or plate, or on roadways and railroads, you will be given a fine.
The fine starts at $50 and can go as high as $100. You certainly don’t want to spend that much just for parking in the wrong area.
Safe Parking Tips
Now that you know the Kansas parking laws, let’s give you some safe parking tips.
Not everyone finds parking easy. For most of us, parking on uphill or downhill slopes is challenging. Not to mention, parallel parking!
So if you’re struggling with your parking, here are some tips that you might find useful.
Downhill Parking
When you’re parking downhill, always remember that you want your car to be supported either by a rock or a curb.
Here are some tips to do downhill parking:
- Turn your wheels towards the curb when parking.
- Slowly inch towards the curb until your wheels are closest to it.
- If there is no curb, turn your wheels away from the roadway. This way, if the vehicle slides downhill, it still goes toward the edge of the road and not towards traffic.
Parking downhill is not the safest parking spot, especially if there’s a chance that your vehicle slides down the hill. If there are other flatter surfaces designated for parking, park in those areas instead.
Uphill Parking
If you’re parking uphill, you want your vehicle to be as close to a curb as possible. In the absence of a curb, you want it to be as far from the roadway as possible.
Here are some tips to do uphill parking:
- Move forward slowly while turning the steering wheel away from the curb. If there is no curb it should be towards the roadway.
- Let your vehicle slowly roll back and wait until the wheels are closest to the curb.
Just like parking downhill, if you can avoid parking on an uphill road, it’s best to not do so.
Angle Parking
Angled parking lots are common, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. Follow these steps so you can park properly at an angle:
- Look for a spot where you want to park.
- Signal that you’re planning to park in an empty spot. You can also turn on the hazard lights.
- If there are parked cars near you, leave 1.5 meters between you and the vehicles.
- Move forward towards the empty parking space until you fully see the side of the vehicle parked on the right.
- From here, turn your steering wheel sharply to the free space.
- Check the parking lines to see if you’re between the lines.
- Once you’re in between the lines, straighten your wheels and move forward until your car is parked inside the space.
Parallel Parking
And then there’s parallel parking. Parallel parking can be difficult especially if the space you plan to park doesn’t have a lot of room.
To parallel park correctly, follow these steps:
- Slowly move forward until you’re right beside the vehicle that is in front of the empty parking space.
- Check your rearview mirrors for incoming traffic. If it’s safe, put your gear on reverse and start backing up.
- Back up slowly and steer your wheels to the right. This will bring the back of the car inside the parking space.
- Slowly straighten your wheels and continue backing up to the empty slot. Keep checking if you are too close to the car in front.
- Once your car’s front wheel passes the bumper of the car in front, steer your wheels to the left. Continue backing up and checking your rearview mirror to ensure you don’t hit the car at the back.
- Once you’re inside the parking slot. Adjust your car’s position and distance from the car in front and at the back.
Of course, this will take a lot of practice to perfect. So just keep these tips in mind and do it slowly, — pretty soon, you’ll be able to parallel park without thinking much of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got more questions on Kansas parking laws and penalties? Here are a few Q&As that can help you out.
What happens if you don’t pay a parking ticket in Kansas?
Your driver’s license may be suspended if you don’t pay a parking ticket or if you don’t show up to court.
Will you get points on your driving record for a parking violation in Kansas?
No, you will not get points for a parking violation. However, you will be required to pay a fine and appear in court to settle the charges.
Are you allowed to park in front of a driveway in Kansas?
You can’t park in front of a driveway or a private road in Kansas.
Can you park alongside a curb?
The general Kansas law states that you are not allowed to block roadways. If you are obstructing traffic by parking on a curb, then this is not allowed.
However, there are a few colored curbs that allow stopping or parking.
Conclusion
You can’t just park anywhere in Kansas. There are designated areas where you can park.
These designated places may not be the most convenient, but they ensure that you don’t block the roadway and that you’re not penalized for violating Kansas parking laws.
So remember, always park in the proper parking spaces!