Pavement, double and dropped kerb parking ban

Under the Scotland wide parking legislation, councils can enforce a ban on pavement, double and dropped kerb parking.

Pavement parking can block pedestrians, damage surfaces and create trip hazards. These measures improve safety and accessibility for all road users. Find out more about the issues caused by pavement parking. 

View parking privacy notices.

Find out what to do if you got a Penalty Charge Notice for pavement parking.

Where you can't park

You must not park:

• On pavements, including within cul-de-sacs
• On grass verges between the road and pavement
• More than 50cm from the kerb (double-parking)
• Alongside another parked vehicle where you are obstructing the flow of traffic or access for other road users (double-parking)
• At dropped kerbs for pedestrian or cycle use, including:
  • At pedestrian crossings (puffin, toucan, or zebra)
  • Beside pedestrian islands
  • At the end of the street or junction where the kerb is either lowered or raised for crossing 
  • Where tactile paving is located
  • Where a dropped kerb is directly opposite on the other side of the road

This ban applies to any road or pavement accessible to the public, but not private driveways or paths serving a single property.

Exemptions

Some exemptions apply for:

• Emergency services and medical practitioners responding to an emergency, accident or their normal operation
• Essential deliveries or collections where no safe alternative exists
• Vehicles used for roadworks or to remove obstructions

All exemptions are conditional:

• There must not be any reasonable alternative exists 
• At least 1.5 metres of pavement must remain clear
• Vehicles must not stay longer than 20 minutes
• The vehicle must not endanger or obstruct pedestrians

Please note blue badge holders and taxis are not exempt from pavement parking rules.

View full details of exemptions, in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

Location specific exemptions

We can also consider exemptions to specific locations where:

• At least 1.5 metres of pavement remains unobstructed when any part of a vehicle is parked on it
• Parking on the carriageway would block emergency vehicles

From our assessments we only recommend exemptions where pedestrians have safe alternative routes. Exempt locations will be clearly signed and marked.

Current exempt locations:

• Collieston: High Town, Slains Road
• Drumlithie: Glenbervie Road
• Fordyce: Pitchaidlie Place
• Inverurie: Provosts Circle
• Muchalls: Monduff Road, Stranathro Terrace
• Oldmeldrum: King Street
• Tarves: Tree Road

View the exemption orders.

If a location is not exempt but you think it should be, you can request an exemption.

Request assessment for location exemption

Report pavement parking

If you are aware of pavement, double and dropped kerb parking, you can report this to us.

We can only take enforcement action where an officer observes the offence. Reports from the public, including photographs or dashcam footage, can't be used for enforcement. However, reports help us identify locations where parking problems regularly occur and may influence future patrols.

When reporting a problem, please include the location and, if possible, the days and times the issue usually occurs.

Report pavement, double or dropped kerb parking

If a vehicle causes a serious obstruction, such as blocking emergency access, contact Police Scotland on 101. Enforcement of HGV parking restrictions is also handled by the police.