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Kentucky · Snapshot 09/05/2026

KRS 189.450: Stopping, standing, parking, or repairing vehicle on roadway or

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  1. KRS Chapter 189

shoulders of highway.

(1) No person shall stop a vehicle, leave it standing, or cause it to stop or to be left

standing upon any portion of the roadway; provided, however, that this section

shall not be construed to prevent parking in front of a private residence off the

roadway or street in a city or suburban area where such parking is otherwise

permitted, as long as the vehicle so parked does not impede the flow of traffic.

This subsection shall not apply to:

(a) A vehicle that has been disabled on the right-of-way of such a highway in

such a manner and to such extent that it is impossible to avoid the

occupation of the shoulder of a state-maintained highway or impracticable

to remove it from the shoulder of the highway until repairs have been

made or sufficient help obtained for its removal. In no event shall a

disabled vehicle remain on the shoulder of a state-maintained highway for

twenty-four (24) hours or more;

(b) Motor vehicles when required to stop in obedience to the provisions of

any section of the Kentucky Revised Statutes or any traffic ordinance,

regulation, or sign or the command of any peace officer;

(c) Vehicles operating as common carriers of passengers for hire and school

buses taking passengers on such vehicle or discharging passengers

therefrom; provided, that no such vehicle shall stop for such purposes at a

place on the highway which does not afford reasonable visibility to

approaching motor vehicles from both directions;

(d) Vehicles which are stopped for a period of not more than fifteen (15)

minutes at a time for the purpose of collecting and transporting solid

waste as defined in KRS 224.1-010(30)(a), and which are operated by a:

1. Collection service registered in accordance with KRS 224.43-315; or

2. Person or organization actively participating in the Adopt-a-Highway

Program; or

(e) Any vehicle required to stop by reason of an obstruction to its progress.

(2) When any police officer finds a vehicle standing upon such a highway in

violation of this section, he may move or cause to be moved the vehicle or

require the operator or other person in charge of the vehicle to move it. The

police officer may cause the vehicle to be removed by ordering any person

engaged in the business of storing or towing motor vehicles to remove the

vehicle to a site chosen by such person. Ownership of the vehicle shall be

determined by the police officer's enforcement agency through the vehicle's

license plates, serial number, or other means of determining ownership. As

soon as practicable, the police officer's enforcement agency shall notify the

owner by mail that the vehicle was illegally upon public property; the name and

address of the storage facility where the vehicle is located; that removal of the

vehicle from the storage facility will involve payment of towing and storage

charges; and that the vehicle may be sold pursuant to the provisions of KRS

376.275 if not claimed within sixty (60) days. No notification shall be required if

ownership cannot be determined. In the event of a sale pursuant to KRS

376.275, the state shall receive any proceeds after the satisfaction of all liens

placed on the vehicle.

(3) No vehicle shall be parked, stopped, or allowed to stand on the shoulders of

any toll road, interstate highway, or other fully controlled access highway,

including ramps thereto, nor shall any vehicle registered at a gross weight of

over forty-four thousand (44,000) pounds be parked, stopped, or allowed to

stand on the shoulders of any state-maintained highway, except that, in the

case of emergency or in response to a peace officer's signal, vehicles shall be

permitted to stop on the shoulders to the right of the traveled way with all

wheels and projecting parts of the vehicles, including the load, completely clear

of the traveled way. Parking of any vehicle which is disabled on the shoulders

of a toll road, interstate highway, other fully controlled access highway,

including ramps thereto, or any state-maintained highway not mentioned in this

section for twenty-four (24) hours continuously is prohibited and vehicles

violating this provision may be towed away at the cost of the owner.

(4) When any police officer finds a vehicle unattended upon any bridge or

causeway or in a tunnel where the vehicle constitutes an obstruction to traffic,

the officer may provide for the removal of the vehicle to the nearest garage or

other place of safety as provided in subsection (2) of this section.

(5) No person shall stop or park a vehicle except when necessary to avoid conflict

with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or traffic

control device, in the following places:

(a) On a sidewalk;

(b) In front of sidewalk ramps provided for persons with disabilities;

(c) In front of a public or private driveway;

(d) Within an intersection or on a crosswalk;

(e) At any place where official signs prohibit stopping or parking;

(f) Within thirty (30) feet upon the approach to any flashing beacon, stop

sign, or traffic control signal located at the side of a roadway;

(g) On any controlled access highway;

(h) Within a highway tunnel;

(i) Within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant; or

(j) In an area between the roadways of a divided highway.

(6) No person shall move a vehicle not lawfully under his control into any such

prohibited area.

(7) The restrictions in subsection (5)(e) of this section shall not apply to sheriffs

and their deputies or police officers when operating properly identified vehicles

during performance of their official duties.

Collected 2026-09-05T20:51:43Z. Source file · JSON

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