Front Yard Parking

Effective February 1, 2017, Parking Enforcement has begun issuing tickets to all vehicles (e.g. motorized vehicles, trailers, boats, recreational vehicles [RVs], etc.) that are parked on their front and/or side yard, and they will continue to issue tickets to those parked on City of Windsor boulevards. The Front Yard Parking By-law 42 (3) was added to the existing by-law on December 12, 2016.

Front Yard Definition:

• A front yard is defined as "a yard extending across the full width of a lot between the front lot line and the nearest wall of a main building on such lot."

Side Yard Definition:

• The City defines the boulevard as "all parts of the highway save and except any roadway, shoulder, driveway or sidewalk," which means a portion of every road allowance within the limits that is not used as a sidewalk, driveway, travelled roadway or shoulder.

Historically, the enforcement of parking in the front yards of residential properties has been dealt with by the Building Division under the Planning Act. As a type of land use, the Building Division could charge property owners, through the courts, in instances where cars or vehicles are parked in front or side yards on the lawn, as opposed to allowable hard surfaces as outlined in the City of Windsor's Zoning By-law 8600 (see By-laws Online).

Some things to consider as to why you shouldn't be parking in your front or side yard are as follows:

1. Emergency Vehicles – Parking your vehicle where you think it is a convenience for you may be a hindrance to emergency personnel who may need to save the lives of yourself, a loved one or family pets.
2. Public Safety – By parking your vehicle where it is not allowed, you may be the cause of sight-line issues for pedestrians or motorized vehicles
3. Unclear Knowledge as to what are you driving over – When you park outside of the allowable hard surfaces, you may cause damage to unseen utilities, e.g. Windsor Utilities water shut-offs, sewer clean-outs, etc., which may lead to backups into basements.
4. Neighbourhood Curb Appeal – Not only does a front lawn look cluttered with vehicles parked on it, but it looks unsightly for the neighbourhood. The damage left behind to lawns adds to the blight of the area.

For questions or more information, please contact: