With so many thriving businesses and neighborhoods, Fort Smith has developed robust parking infrastructure to support the growing number of vehicles moving throughout the city every day.

Residential/Neighborhood Parking

Vehicles must be registered in order to park on any residential street and must be moved every 72 hours at minimum. The Fort Smith Police Department handles parking issues related to operational vehicles parked on public property, street right-of-way, and private parking lots upon request. Neighborhood Services oversees parking and storage of vehicles (operational or not) on private property. Residents may reach out to these respective departments for more information or refer to the abbreviated parking ordinances below.

Fort Smith Police Department Neighborhood Services

Parking Downtown

Downtown Fort Smith meters and parking garages are operated and managed by the Fort Smith Water Utilities Department.

Downtown parking meter rates:

• 50 cents/hour on Garrison Ave.
• 25 cents/40 minutes on downtown side streets

The fine for failing to pay parking meters is $10. Parking tickets are payable via yellow collection boxes located around the downtown area.

Visit the Parking Downtown page for more information.

Parking Downtown

Parking Information for Businesses

The City of Fort Smith has minimum and maximum parking standards for businesses. Depending on the land use, the City refers to a parking chart to determine the appropriate amount of parking for a new or existing business. At certain thresholds, the City requires bike racks and tree islands to be installed and maintained.

Potential businesses must call the Planning Department to verify how many parking spaces are required before a business license can be issued.

General Parking Questions

For general parking questions, contact the Planning Department by calling 479-784-2216.

Abbreviated Local Parking Rules & Ordinances

1. Parking in excess of 72 hours is prohibited
2. No person shall park a vehicle at any time in parking spaces on private property which are so marked or signed as being reserved for physically disabled persons unless a special license decal issued by the state office of motor vehicle registration, or a corresponding agency of another state, is displayed on the vehicle's license plate or unless a disabled veteran's license plate, as issued by the state office of motor vehicle registration or a corresponding agency of another state, is affixed to the vehicle so parked. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be fined.
3. No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or a traffic control device, in any of the following places:
   • On a sidewalk
   • In front of a public or a private driveway
   • Within an intersection
   • Within fifteen feet of a fire hydrant
   • In a crosswalk
   • Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection
   • Within 30 feet upon the approach to any flashing beacon, any stop sign, or any traffic-control signal located at the side of a roadway
   • Between a safety zone and the adjacent curb or within 30 feet of points on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone, unless the local traffic authority indicates a different length by signs or markings
   • Within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing
   • Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station within 75 feet of the entrance when properly signposted
   • Alongside or opposite any street excavation or any street obstruction when stopping, standing, or parking would obstruct traffic
   • On a roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge of a curb or a street
   • Upon any bridge or other elevated structure upon a highway or within a highway tunnel
   • At any place where official signs prohibit stopping; or on the shoulders, the median, the ramps, and all other highway rights-of-way along interstate or fully controlled access highways, except in designated parking areas, provided that stopping, standing, or parking that is brief in duration and is due to an emergency, a vehicle disablement, or to correct or avert an unsafe condition shall not be considered a violation of this section.
   No person shall move a vehicle not owned by the person into any such prohibited area or away from a curb a distance that is unlawful.
4. It is unlawful for the occupants of any oneand two-family dwelling structures to keep more than six vehicles in the front and exterior side yard.
5. It is unlawful for the operator of any vehicle to cause the vehicle to be parked or stored on an unimproved surface on the front yard or exterior side yard of any one or two-family dwelling structure or on any portion of an adjacent or contiguous undeveloped property. The improved surface shall consist of concrete, asphalt, or brick pavers. The improved area for parking vehicles in a front yard shall be limited to 40% of the gross front or exterior side yard land area.
6. It is unlawful for the owner of any residential property to construct, reconstruct, or alter any hard surface parking area without having obtained a permit. The permit fee is $30.
7. Any person found guilty of violating the provisions of this section shall be subject to the penalties set forth in section 1-9 of the Fort Smith Code of Ordinances.

For a complete list of parking ordinances, please visit the Code of Ordinances page.