Street, lawn, gravel? Where you can — and can’t — legally park in Pembroke Pines
If you’re packing your house for a holiday party, can your guests park on the street? Can you back a U-Haul onto your front lawn for better access on moving day?
Need to brush up on Pembroke Pines’ parking code, the ruling authority for where to station your vehicle? If so, we’ve got you covered.
Read on for a refresher of where you can legally park in the city.
Can I park or stop my car on the street?
The City of Pembroke Pines makes it clear that if stopping, standing or parking your vehicle on a street or highway hinders the free flow of traffic, it’s got to be moved, according to section 72.04 of its Code of Ordinances.
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What qualifies as hindering the free flow of traffic is not as plainly stated by the city, but the Code Compliance Unit confirms that “temporary or overnight parking on a residential street” is allowed if it doesn’t cause an obstruction.
That means if you parallel park or stall on the street facing a home and are positioned against traffic, you could risk a citation from a “code enforcement officer,” those authorized to crack down on ordinances.
City code describes these as including — but not limited to — code inspectors, law enforcement officers, animal control officers, park rangers and fire safety inspectors.
Though code enforcement officers can’t make arrests, they’re allowed to hand out citations if — after providing notice and a maximum window of 30 days to right the violation — no corrective action is taken.
A citation can be immediately issued if the infraction poses a threat to public safety or welfare or is “irreparable or irreversible.”
A standard municipal parking violation requires a $50 fine, according to the Pembroke Pines Police Department, but penalties could range up to $500 depending on the infraction.
The one exception to this rule, reads the code, is “when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic, or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or official traffic control device.”
That means if your car breaks down in the road, making it a safety hazard to other drivers, it’s likely you won’t hear from Code Compliance. If an officer requires you stop, stand or park your vehicle, their instructions trump city ordinances.
What about private school buses or adult day care vans that must stop to pick up and drop off passengers at their homes?
Those classify as commercial vehicles and would follow city ordinance 72.02, which allows for loading and unloading outside of the hours of 11 p.m.-6:30 a.m.
Code Compliance extends this protocol to all vehicles, saying drivers “may park or stop on a residential street for pick-up/drop-off purposes provided that they do not impede traffic,” in a statement shared with the Pembroke Pines News on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
In cases where limited driveway space is an issue, PPPD Captain Adam Feiner told the Pembroke Pines News, “Residents are urged to park their vehicles in the space designed and intended for legal parking.”
Can I park my car, boat or trailer on my lawn?
Those with recreational vehicles — ATVs, campers or watercraft — are only allowed to store one at their residence and must park them within 7 feet of their front property line, which divides a home from the street it occupies, according to Pembroke Pines’ website.
It also has to “be parked or stored on a paved surface,” adds city code, meaning grassy areas, including your lawn or swales planted along the sidewalk, and gravel are not to be used as a driveway or pathway for loading and unloading.
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The exception to this ordinance is if your vehicle is tucked away “within a fenced area obstructed from view.” Simply stated: out of sight, out of mind.
City officials doubled down on this statute in June 2024 after an amendment to the Land Development Code was made “In an effort to maintain property values and community appearance,” according to Pembroke Pines’ website.
According to Pembroke Pines Mayor Angelo Castillo, the crackdown was in response to several residents’ lawns being torn up by parked vehicles.
“About a year or more ago, we got our first angry call from a homeowner who was selling her house. She was angry because she had to lower her price to sell it,” Castillo shared on his nongovernmental Nextdoor account, a neighborhood social platform he says he posts on in an “individual capacity.”
“Why? Because her neighbor was parking 7 cars on their lawn and would not buy a house at her or any price with neighbors parking their cars on lawns. This was soon followed by several other calls along the same lines.”
He added that code enforcement officers conduct “some independent inspections, but mostly responds to resident complaints, which keeps them plenty busy.”
The Pembroke Pines Police Department and Code Compliance Unit did not provide how many complaints the city receives on average from residents upon request from the Pembroke Pines News.
What about my HOAs parking rules?
For those living in communities with a homeowners association, Code Compliance says “they cannot override or reduce city code requirements.”
No HOA can contradict or violate Pembroke Pines ordinances, but they can add more restrictive rules to those the city already imposes, according to the unit. Officials encourage residents to consult their HOA for more information.
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 4:14 PM.
