US parking law crackdown gains steam. Are more tickets next? Phaedra Trethan and N'dea YanceyBragg, USA TODAYSeptember 2, 2025 at 7:01 AM A new wave of laws aims to make America's streets safer — but brace for more tickets and less parking.
- - US parking law crackdown gains steam. Are more tickets next?
Phaedra Trethan and N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAYSeptember 2, 2025 at 7:01 AM
A new wave of laws aims to make America's streets safer — but brace for more tickets and less parking.
States and cities eager to maximize parking in busy areas have a long history of lax enforcement of laws that usually require about 20 feet of no-parking zones around crosswalks.
Now, an effort to crack down on the problem is gaining steam. Proponents call the effort "daylighting," named after the increased visibility that comes when few parked cars crowd intersections.
"If we have cars that are parked right next to crosswalks, a lot of times, it creates a huge blind zone right in front of the crosswalk," said Angie Schmitt, founder of a planning firm focused on pedestrian safety. "And I really think cities should be more proactive about trying to prevent that, because it really is dangerous."
In Sacramento, drivers who park within 25 feet of a crosswalk — or 15 feet if the curb has a pedestrian extension or bump-out — could be fined $25, regardless of whether there is a sign or other indication that prohibits parking.
That comes after California joined more than 40 states that have laws requiring cars to park a certain distance - typically about 20 feet - from any intersection, according to research from the California Research Bureau of the California State Library. The law there went into effect Jan. 1, though many jurisdictions initially opted to issue warnings, rather than citations.
In New York City, the city council is considering a bill that would end the city's longstanding daylighting exemption. It would require installing hard infrastructure at 1,000 intersections each year, enshrining a pledge to ramp up daylighting efforts made by Mayor Eric Adams.
It's a controversial move. Officials with the city's department of transportation have questioned the safety benefit and said the city could lose 300,000 parking spaces and billions of dollars, if all intersections faced the increased parking restrictions.
A man crosses the street as snow falls as the winter storm Quinn approaches New York City on March 7, 2018 in Hoboken, New Jersey.Old laws, old problem
Daylighting is a safety measure that prohibits parking near crosswalks to provide better visibility for pedestrians, drivers and bikers. Some cities install physical barriers like planters, bike racks, or other obstacles, to ensure compliance.
The concept is nothing new, but over time a mix of lax enforcement, low investment and legal exceptions have led to a patchwork of laws that often prioritize parking over visibility.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency notes daylighting laws date back decades because many states based their initial vehicle codes on The United States Uniform Vehicle Code, which in its most recent version prohibits parking "within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection."
Maryland and Connecticut have daylighting laws, for example, but they don't apply in Baltimore City and New Haven, according to the research compiled by the California Research Bureau of the California State Library.
Safety advocates including Alexa Sledge, a spokesperson for New York-based Transportation Alternatives, have been pushing for the change for years, citing success in nearby cities like Hoboken, New Jersey. The city celebrated seven years without a traffic-related death in 2024 after local leaders implemented a number of systemic safety improvements.
It all started with daylighting, according to Ryan Sharp, the city's former director of transportation and parking.
"If Hoboken can start small with something like that and build with something significantly larger in terms of its investments in safety improvements and infrastructure improvements then any community can do it, right?" said Sharp.
Sledge said she is hopeful the daylighting measure in New York will pass given the bipartisan support it has enjoyed and believes it has the potential to save lives.
Brace for parking tickets, fewer spaces
Rock Miller, a California-based traffic and civil engineer, said drivers are supposed to know not to park certain places (like close to or in front of fire hydrants), whether or not there are painted curbs or other indications that it's illegal.
The problem is particularly acute, he said, not just in urban areas but also in coastal communities, where beach parking is at a premium and many people from inland towns, seeking relief from the brutal heat, try to park as close to the water as possible.
He pointed to Newport Beach in California as one example, which he said "has struggled": "It's essential to allow people to park close to the beach, and it wasn't illegal before, but it's illegal now. You have to figure out how to notify someone who's coming from 50 miles inland, and police departments are (struggling) with 'Can we write a ticket without there being a painted curb?'"
A sign on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia alerts motorists and cyclists about a designated bus/bike lane.
Miller said that research shows "there are potential benefits" to greater enforcement of daylighting, but in California, at least, he "can see all kinds of issues with the way it's being rolled out.
"Police don't want to write a lot of tickets that are going to get appealed, and towns don't want to have to paint every intersection."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: More tickets, fewer spaces? Watch for 'daylighting' parking crackdown.
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