Friday, Sep 11, 2026
Can a vehicle legally take up more than one space in a Sarasota public parking lot?
Sarasota city code requires vehicles in municipal parking lots with marked spaces to be parked entirely within a single space. It also prohibits a vehicle from occupying more than one marked space, whether the spaces are metered or not. The city may issue a separate citation for each additional space occupied.That means a truck towing a boat trailer, for example, cannot legally stretch across multiple spaces — even if the truck and trailer are each within the lines of those spaces. At the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, which is near the Centennial Park boat ramp, signs go even further, prohibiting boat-trailer parking seven days a week and warning drivers not to double park.Free parking does not override those restrictions. Although the city has suspended paid and timed-parking enforcement on Sundays, it considers parking across multiple spaces a safety violation, which remains enforceable seven days a week.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- MuniCode City of Sarasota Ordinances 33-133(1)
- City of Sarasota Extended parking enforcement hours temporarily suspended
- City of Sarasota Email
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