Residents of the Stonehaven neighborhood in Pelham, Alabama say they're getting slapped with $100 citations for parking in their own driveways, after city officials determined their vehicles extend across the sidewalk. Several homeowners say the fines feel absurd given that they've parked the same way for decades without a single complaint.
Three Stonehaven residents brought their frustrations to the Pelham City Council on Monday night, telling council members that citations were issued because their vehicles extended across their driveways into the sidewalk, according to AL.com. The city maintains that parking on sidewalks is prohibited both under a local ordinance and under state law, and abc3340.com reports that some Pelham residents say they're being fined $100 for parking vehicles in their own driveways because the vehicles extend across a sidewalk.
For Brad Manley, the math simply doesn't work in his favor. He received a citation on Aug. 20 after his 2018 Ford F-150 was parked in a driveway across the street from his home, per the same report. Manley said the parking area there measures 230 inches end to end, but 36 inches of that is taken up by the sidewalk — while his truck measures 243 inches long. Even his own driveway, once the sidewalk is subtracted, provides only 237 inches of parking space, still shorter than his truck.
Decades of Parking Without a Problem
Greg Watts, who has lived in his Walker Road home since 2001, said he's now facing three separate citations totaling $300. He said his family parked in the same spot for roughly 25 years without any issue, and he's made clear he doesn't intend to pay. Walker Road houses were built primarily between 1999 and 2000 — before Pelham's parking ordinance was ever adopted.
Michelle Estes, another Stonehaven resident, said she received a $100 citation for simply using her own driveway. She told the council that residents have lived with this unresolved situation for 16 to 23 years without ever running into it before. “That's my grocery budget,” Estes said, describing what the fine means for her family.
Some Stonehaven homes have driveways that may simply be too short for the vehicles residents own, pushing some to adjust by pulling cars horizontally into driveways or onto their lawns rather than risk another ticket.
City Points to State Law, ADA Concerns
Pelham officials say Ordinance 524, adopted in May 2025, prohibits vehicles from being parked on any portion of a sidewalk — including sidewalk sections that cross public or private driveways. The city has pointed to both state law and the Americans with Disabilities Act as reasons for enforcing the sidewalk restriction, and officials say Pelham enforces the ordinance citywide whenever issues are identified or complaints come in.
The underlying state statute, Code of Alabama § 32-5A-137, lists stopping or parking on a sidewalk among locations where vehicles are prohibited from parking. City officials say Pelham lacks the authority to grant variances that would waive state or federal law requirements, and that sidewalks exist to serve pedestrian safety and mobility access rather than vehicle storage.
Council Agrees to Dig Deeper, No Changes Yet
Council members did not change the ordinance during Monday's meeting, but several acknowledged the residents' concerns were worth examining further. Councilman Hal Snowden said the parking issue was already on the council's radar and would be discussed further by officials looking for ways to address situations like these.
Council member Michell Powers said the council would look into what changed between the ordinance's adoption and the point at which tickets started being issued to longtime residents. Council member Christine Townes said the residents' concern was legitimate and that the council was actively examining it. The Pelham City Council agreed to investigate the residents' citation concerns further, with the next council meeting scheduled for Oct. 5 in Pelham.
