Can you park on a single yellow line?

March 03, 2023 by carwow staff

Wondering if you can park on a single yellow line? Wonder no more

Driving comes with all sorts of rules, and parking has its own discrete set of regulations, one of which concerns single yellow lines.

The stripes of paint, which adorn the sides of many roads across the UK, can sometimes be parked on, and sometimes not; we explain all.

What does a single yellow line mean?

A single yellow line painted on the side of a road, typically next to a pavement, means that you are not allowed to park on the road where the line rests – most of the time.

When can you park on a single yellow line?

Unhelpfully, the answer to this is ‘it depends’, with restrictions varying from area to area.

In Manchester city centre, for example, you are not allowed to park on single yellow lines between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week.

In Westminster, meanwhile, you cannot park on single yellow lines between 8:30am and 6:30pm on Monday to Friday, or in some areas from Monday to Saturday, with weekend parking allowed.

The precise hours during which restrictions are in place will be displayed on a sign close to the yellow lines.

People with disabled Blue Badges can park on single yellow lines at any time, but only for up to three hours, and only if there are no loading restrictions.

How long can you park on a single yellow line?

This depends entirely on the hours during which restrictions apply to the yellow line you wish to park on.

If the sign says, for example, ‘8am-8pm Mon-Sat’, you are not allowed to park there during those hours. So if you park up at 7am on a Monday, you can park for an hour, but if you park at 8pm on a Saturday, you can leave your car on the single yellow line until 8am on a Monday, or 36 hours.

What happens if you get caught parking on a single yellow line when you shouldn’t?

You’ll get a parking ticket, plain and simple – although how much this costs will depend on where you are, and how quickly you pay the fine. Parking tickets in some areas of the country can be £50, while in London they start at £80. In all instances you will get a 50% reduction in the charge if you pay within 14 days, though.

Single yellow line offences are enforced by local councils, either by their own staff or by a subcontracting company. If you fail to pay the fine the council could enact a Warrant of Execution, which could result in a bailiff coming to your home to recover the fine; note this is a power councils have, but not private parking firms.

If you think the penalty has been issued in error – perhaps the lines were badly faded, or there was not adequate signage, you could appeal it with the council. Instructions on how to do this will be on the ticket, and if you appeal within 14 days you can still pay the reduced amount if your appeal is unsuccessful.

What is the difference between single and double yellow lines?

Single yellow lines allow parking during certain hours, whereas double yellow lines, in the words of the Highway Code, “indicate a prohibition of waiting at any time even if there are no upright signs.”

There are a couple exceptions to this, with Blue Badge holding disabled drivers able to park on double yellows for up to three hours (unless signs indicate otherwise); commercial drivers can also stop on double yellow lines to load and unload goods, while you can also stop to drop passengers off or pick them up – though you can’t wait for them to arrive. Signs may preclude all of these activities, though.

Single yellow line parking FAQs

Can you park on single yellow lines on the weekend?

It depends on the hours of operation of the single yellows. If the sign says, for example, 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, you could park up at 8pm on a Friday and collect your car on the Monday before 8am and be fine. If the sign says 8am-8pm Mon-Sat, though, you could only park there from 8pm on the Saturday to 8am on the Monday.

Can you park on single yellow lines on bank holidays?

Not outside the hours permitted on normal days; bank holidays do not affect yellow lines, so abide by the rules stipulated on the signs unless you want a ticket.

Can Blue Badge holders park on single yellow lines?

Yes, for up to three hours, as long as the Blue Badge parking permit and ‘parking disc’ (on which the time of arrival is set and displayed) is visible to traffic wardens. Signs can preclude Blue Badge holders from parking on single yellow lines, though, so keep an eye out for these.