What That Colored Curb Paint Means in Your Pennsylvania Neighborhood

Living the city life can be pretty tough. With all the pros of living in the city, there are some cons too.

A big one for me personally is the driving situation. I can’t stand sitting in traffic for more than five minutes at a time—and if you live in the city, you really need to pack some patience.

If you’re traveling through a town in Pennsylvania or a city like Philly and see painted curbs while driving, do you know what they mean?

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Personally, this is something I see often—as we all do—but I never really stopped to think about what each color meant.

Now that I’ve learned this information, I think every driver should have to take a course and know exactly what these painted curbs are trying to tell us.

Here’s a little lesson on curb colors, in case you didn’t already know. According to TheHill.com and CarParts.com, these painted curb colors are actually really important to understand:

What do curbs painted red mean?

Red curbs indicate that the area is a no-parking zone. That means no stopping, standing, or parking at any time. Some cities even allow property owners to have a red curb in front of their homes as a residential driveway clearance zone—but Pennsylvania cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh don’t allow this.

What do curbs painted white mean?

White curbs usually indicate that parking is allowed in that area. Still, be sure to check nearby signs—whether you’re in a city or suburb—to make sure you’re following the town or city’s rules and regulations.

What do curbs painted yellow mean?

According to CarParts.com, yellow curbs indicate loading and unloading zones. If you see a yellow curb, you can pull over and either drop off or pick up items or passengers. You’re not really allowed to park and leave your car here, but for quick loading and unloading, it’s allowed.

What do curbs painted blue mean?

Blue curbs are typically reserved for people with disabilities. Just like handicap spaces in parking lots are painted blue to make them easy to identify, the same goes for curb colors as well.

What do curbs painted green mean?

Green curbs usually indicate a space where you can park for a short period of time. You’ll likely see them in busy areas—often in cities—and the local parking time limits can vary depending on the day of the week and time of day.

I don’t know about you, but to me, this wasn’t common knowledge. So if you’re driving through your Pennsylvania suburb or city, make sure you’re aware of what these curb colors mean!