Parking on the pavement and no-stopping rules: distances and fines

You may stop a car up to 2.5 t on the pavement where no stopping or parking ban applies, the pavement is at least 1.5 m wide and pedestrians can get past. Stopping is banned, for example, within 10 m of a junction or pedestrian crossing and within 15 m of a bus stop. Fines: 100-300 zł.

Stopping and parking: what the rules mean

The Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym) distinguishes between stopping and parking, and some bans apply to only one of them. The Act counts it in minutes (art. 2, points 29-30): stopping is immobilising the vehicle for reasons other than traffic conditions or rules, for no longer than 1 minute (and also any immobilisation caused by those conditions, for example in a traffic jam), while parking is immobilising the vehicle for longer than 1 minute. That one minute sometimes comes up as an exam question. A no-stopping rule is stricter, because if you cannot stop, you cannot park either. Where only a no-parking rule applies, the Act does not forbid stopping itself.

The general rule is in art. 46. Stopping and parking are allowed only in a place where the vehicle is visible from a sufficient distance and does not endanger safety or obstruct traffic (para. 1). On the carriageway you stop as close to the edge as possible and parallel to it (para. 2). Outside a built-up area, when parking you pull off the carriageway where possible (para. 3). After leaving the car you secure it against being started by an unauthorised person (para. 5).

Several entries in the fines tariff are linked to that last rule, and we describe them alongside the fine for a snow-covered car: leaving the engine running while parked in a built-up area costs 100 zł (PLN), and walking away from a vehicle with the engine running 50 zł.

When you may stop on the pavement: 2.5 t, 1.5 m and a clear path

Art. 47(1) allows a car with a permissible total mass (DMC) of up to 2.5 t to stand with the wheels of one side or of the front axle on the pavement (a road for pedestrians). Three conditions must be met at the same time:

1. no stopping or parking ban applies on that section of road;
2. the pavement is at least 1.5 m wide and the vehicle will not obstruct pedestrians;
3. a vehicle standing with its front axle on the pavement does not block traffic on the carriageway.

Para. 2 goes a step further. A whole passenger car, motorcycle, moped or cycle cart (wózek rowerowy) may stand on the pavement at the edge of the carriageway if conditions 1 and 2 are met (no ban and at least 1.5 m for pedestrians). Any other vehicle with a DMC of up to 2.5 t (for example a van) may be parked entirely on the pavement only in a place marked with signs.

Bicycles, e-scooters and personal transporters have their own provision (para. 3): you leave them in a place designated for that, and if there is none, as far from the carriageway as possible and parallel to it. Where you may ride an e-scooter and from what age is described in our article on e-scooters.

Two traps from the question catalogue. First, 1.5 m is the minimum pavement width, but that is not the end of the check: if pedestrians find it hard to get past after you park, parking is prohibited (question 6173, answer NO). Second, a no-stopping sign also covers the pavement next to that carriageway (question 9379, answer YES). Whether pedestrians must be left a path at least 1.5 m wide is tested in question 6166 (YES).

Where you must not stop: table of distances from art. 49(1)

A stopping ban means you may neither pull up for a moment nor park there. The Act lists these places in art. 49(1).

Two numbers are worth keeping in mind for the exam: 10 m and 15 m. Ten metres applies to junctions, level and tram crossings, pedestrian crossings and signs. Fifteen metres applies to stops and islands. The catalogue tests this difference directly: stopping 11 m from a stop is too close, because 15 m is required (question 7374, answer NO).

Parking bans: gateways, level crossings, residential zones and motorways

Art. 49(2) lists places where you may stop but may not park:

• a place that obstructs entry or exit, for example in front of a gateway, garage, car park or parking bay (question 3548 on a gateway entrance: NO);
• a place that obstructs access to another vehicle;
• before and after a level crossing, on the section from the crossing to the post with one stripe;
• a residential zone outside designated places;
• a built-up area for a vehicle with a DMC above 16 t or longer than 12 m, outside designated car parks.

Motorways and expressways have a separate rule (para. 3): stopping and parking are allowed only in designated places. Pulling onto the hard shoulder because you are tired or want to take a call is not a designated place. Speed limits on these roads and fines for exceeding them are set out in our article on speed limits in Poland.

If you leave the car parked in conditions of insufficient visibility, a lighting duty applies: position lights or parking lights, unless the place is lit or you are standing off the carriageway and hard shoulder. The details from art. 52 are in our text on car lights.

How much is the fine for bad parking: table from the tariff

The amounts come from the fines tariff (the regulation of 30 December 2021, entries 157 and 160-179). As of September 2026.

The highest amounts are for junctions, crossings and motorways (300 zł). The typical mistake on a housing estate, parking in front of someone else's gateway or in a residential zone outside a designated place, costs 100 zł. We do not cover towing or paid parking zones here, because other rules govern them.

Penalty points: 5 points for three offences, 1 point for the rest

The regulation on the register of drivers who breach road traffic rules, in force since 3 June 2026, assigns points to only three offences in this area:

Every other breach of the conditions and bans on stopping or parking (pavement, stop, gateway, residential zone, motorway) has code H 28 and 1 point; when it coincides with H 18-H 20, points are counted only once, for the more serious offence. What the three pointed entries have in common is a place where a standing vehicle blocks the view of other road users: pedestrians at a crossing, drivers at a junction, everyone in a tunnel.

How the question catalogue tests stopping and parking: cheat sheet

Most questions on this topic are YES/NO questions with a photo or with a specific number. The answers in line with the rules:

Questions 6281, 9366, 9372, 9696, 6160 and 7317 also concern stopping and parking. You will find them all on the list of category B exam questions, and each has its own page, for example question 7374 on stopping 11 m from a bus stop.

A practical tip for your first months at the wheel: before you switch off the engine, count your steps. About ten long strides from a crossing or junction, and fifteen from a bus stop post, is a simple way to check the distance without a tape measure. Judge the pavement by whether a pushchair and someone walking beside it would still fit.