'I'm a Brit in the US and there's little-known parking rule I had no idea about'

Daily Record

27-05-2025

Stef Smith and her husband Darren were holidaying in Nashville, Tennessee, and hired a car. But they noticed one strange thing about the way car parks work in the US and have issued a warning to other travellers
A British couple were left astounded when they received a parking warning during their recent trip to America. Northern native Stef and her partner Darren encountered an unexpected snag while on a break in Nashville, Tennessee, having rented a vehicle for their travels.
The pair discovered a peculiarity regarding the local car parking arrangements. Stef, who dispenses travel advice and chronicles her adventures on social media, took to TikTok – where she has amassed over 80,000 followers – to relay the incident. They had found a multi-storey car park in Franklin, Nashville, thinking nothing more of it until they returned to see a cautionary note affixed to their hire car's windscreen.
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On her TikTok account @stef_smith_af, Stef recounted: "Right, one thing you need to be aware of if you come to Nashville. I am not sure if it is all over Nashville or just where we are in Franklin, but we've parked in a multi-storey car park - and I literally just said to Darren that all the cars had driven into the spaces and nobody had reserved."
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Stef, bemused, revealed she had received a ticket: "You're not allowed. You're not allowed to reverse into a car park space here. Didn't get a fine, we just got a warning."
For those visiting Nashville and finding themselves with a 'warning note', it is important to check its authenticity; a genuine notice will read Parking Violation Notice at the top. This advice comes in the wake of Metro Police cautioning against sham parking fines last year, as reported by Nashville's WSMV television station.
Is reversing into a space illegal in Nashville?
Backing into a parking space, or reverse parking is generally not illegal in Nashville - and Tennessee law does not explicitly ban it - but often there may be local regulations or signs in specific locations that prohibit it. These rules are typically sign posted.
Number plates
n the comments of Stef's video, some suggested it may be because in some American states, drivers only require one number plate - on the back. Tennessee law mandates that only one license plate, a rear plate, be displayed for most passenger vehicles.
One commenter suggested: "It's so the number plates can be checked by patrol without anyone having to get out their vehicle because so many US cars only have a plate on the rear of the car."
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"I would think it's because of the number plate," added another. One other said: "It's probably because 99% of American cars don't have a front licence plate - but that in itself drives me mad, like why remove front licence plates? It's so weird!"
Facing the wrong way
Sharing personal experience from across the pond, someone commented: "When I was in San Francisco I saw a space on the other side of the road. I parked in it and my friend told me you aren't allowed to park facing against the flow of traffic."
It is typically against the law in the US to park going against traffic, as it poses potential dangers and can block drivers' sightlines. Rules dictate all parallel parking should align with the direction of traffic.
In Nashville, for example, the protocol is to parallel park with your car's right-hand wheels within 18 inches of the right kerb. However, local rules such as those in Nashville may allow for left-side parking on one-way streets or angled parking, pending approval from the Tennessee Department of Transportation for state and federal roads.