Reporting Illegally Parked Vehicles
- May 7
- 2 min read
We are entering peak “Blocked Driveways, Emergency Lanes, and other Public Rights of Way” season. (Note: PBOT = Portland Bureau of Transportation, Oregon)
If you are affected by a blocking vehicle:
First:
Take a picture of the blocking vehicle's license plate if it’s safe to do so
Be prepared to provide the PBOT Parking Enforcement (PE) Hotline with the address or precise location, blocking problem, and make, model, color, and license plate of the vehicle
Second:
Call Parking Enforcement: 503-823-5195 (leaving a message works)
Call the Police Non-emergency line: 503-823-3333, if there is a public safety issue (e.g. blocking fire lanes)
Save the numbers in your phone if you are so inclined.
Suggestion: Please call Parking Enforcement every time you need to have an illegally parked vehicle reported, ticketed, or moved. Alerting PBOT about each occurrence is more effective than cloud ranting (or worse) at “special” (or clueless or spatially challenged) drivers who think blocking driveways, fire lanes, and turnaround spaces do not hurt anyone.
From the PBOT webpage: https://www.portland.gov/transportation/parking/report-illegally-parked-vehicle
"Call PBOT Parking Enforcement's hotline, 503-823-5195
Be ready with location information, make and model, color, and license plate (if known). Staff are available and check voicemails regularly at the following times:
Monday - Friday: 6:15 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Saturday: 8:15 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sunday: 8:45 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Outside of these times, you may report illegally parked vehicles to the Portland Police Bureau's non-emergency line, 503-823-3333"
NOTE: Rental scooters and bikes are another sidewalk and roadway blocking problem, primarily for pedestrians, people who use wheelchairs, and push strollers, as well as law abiding bicyclists, etc. These vehicles can be reported, too, but the system is a pain and needs to be fixed. It should be as easy as texting a picture to the car share biz and Portland regulatory office. It’s not: https://www.portland.gov/transportation/regulatory/escooterpdx/report
This blog post was published on 5/7/26, by Laura O.
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