Parking Rules and Coloured Lines in Spain

Coloured lines painted on the kerb or around a parking bay in Spain tell you whether, and how, you are allowed to park. In short: blue lines mean paid, time-limited parking; green lines are reserved for residents; a solid yellow line means no stopping and no parking; a broken yellow line means no parking; and plain white bays are usually ordinary free parking. This guide explains each colour, the odd and even day signs, and why prices and hours change from town to town.

What do the parking line colours mean in Spain?

Spanish towns use a colour code to mark their kerbs and bays. Once you learn it, you can read almost any street at a glance. The main colours are blue, green, yellow and white. Blue and green mark regulated on-street parking, yellow marks a prohibition, and white marks ordinary free bays. Here is the quick reference.

Treat this table as your starting point, not the final word. The line tells you the type of zone. The nearby sign or parking meter tells you the exact price, the hours, and any exceptions. When the paint and the sign seem to disagree, the sign wins.

What are the zona azul and zona verde?

The zona azul is regulated pay parking, often run under a scheme called SER (Servicio de Estacionamiento Regulado). You park in a bay marked with blue lines, pay at the meter or through an app, and place your ticket on the dashboard, or register your plate. There is a maximum stay, so you cannot leave the car all day. When your paid time runs out, you either move the car or risk a fine.

The zona verde, marked with green lines, is aimed at residents of that neighbourhood. Locals with a residents' permit park there cheaply or free for long periods. Non-residents are usually either barred or limited to a short, more expensive stay, and only where the local rules allow it. If you are just visiting a green-zone street, read the meter carefully before you assume you can use it.

Why two colours? Cities use zona verde to protect parking for the people who live on a street, while zona azul turns over short-stay spaces for shoppers and visitors. It is a way of managing scarce kerb space. For the broader system of lines and markings you will meet on the road, see our guide to Spanish road markings explained.

What do yellow lines mean for parking?

Yellow lines are the prohibition colour, and the two versions are not the same. A solid (continuous) yellow line along the kerb means no stopping and no parking. You may not leave the vehicle there, and you may not even halt to wait. A broken (dashed) yellow line means no parking, though a brief stop, for example to let a passenger out, may be allowed. When in doubt, treat yellow as "keep moving".

Yellow paint on the kerb often marks places where a stopped car would be dangerous or obstructive: near junctions, bus stops, loading bays, garage entrances and narrow stretches. Even a short stop on a solid yellow line can earn a ticket, because the whole point is to keep that length of kerb clear at all times.

A yellow zig-zag or a yellow-hatched box usually marks a reserved area, such as a bus or taxi zone, where stopping rules are stricter still. Yellow is closely related to the blue-panel and red-ringed prohibition signs you will see on posts nearby. Our guide to Spanish prohibition signs explained covers the no-stopping and no-parking signs that back up these lines.

How does odd and even day parking work?

On some narrow streets, parking is allowed on one side on odd-numbered days of the month and on the other side on even-numbered days. This keeps at least one side clear and lets the street work in both directions. The rule is set by two signs: R-308a means no parking on odd days on that side, and R-308b means no parking on even days on that side.

In practice, you read the sign on the side you want to park on. If it shows R-308a and today's date is an odd number, you cannot park there today, so you park on the opposite side instead. On even days it flips. A common trick is to move the car the evening before the switch, so you are already on the correct side when the day changes at midnight.

These signs appear far more in older town centres than in modern suburbs, so many drivers rarely meet them. But when you do, misreading them is an easy way to collect a fine. Learning the R-series sign codes pays off across the whole theory exam, not just for parking. You can drill them on our practice tests.

Why do parking rules change from town to town?

The colour code is broadly consistent across Spain, but the details are local. Prices, hours, maximum stays and even extra colours such as orange or red are set by each municipality, not by a single national table. One town's blue zone might cost a euro an hour until 8pm; the next town's might be different, with a free midday break. Never assume the numbers carry over.

Some cities add their own colours or variations for specific uses, such as loading zones, high-turnover shopping streets or low-emission areas. Because these are local, the only reliable source is the signage and the meter right in front of you. Read the small print on the machine, check the hours, and note the maximum stay before you walk away from the car.

One national point worth clearing up: there is no special "white kerb" rule in Spain. White bay lines simply mark ordinary parking, normally free, subject to whatever the local signs say. If a white-lined bay has a sign restricting it, the sign applies. The safe habit everywhere is the same: line first for the type of zone, then sign and meter for the exact rules.

Frequently asked questions

Are white parking bays always free in Spain?

White bays are ordinary parking and are usually free, but always check for a nearby sign. There is no special national "white kerb" rule. If a sign restricts the bay, for example reserving it or setting hours, that sign overrides the assumption that white means free.

Can a tourist park in a zona verde?

Green zones are reserved or priority for residents with a permit. Non-residents are usually either not allowed or limited to a short, higher-priced stay, and only where local rules permit it. Read the meter carefully, and if in doubt, look for a nearby blue zone or a white bay instead.

What is the difference between a solid and a broken yellow line?

A solid yellow line means no stopping and no parking, so you cannot even halt there. A broken yellow line means no parking, though a brief stop may be allowed. Both keep the kerb clear, so treat yellow as a signal to keep moving unless a sign says otherwise.

How do I know the price and hours of a blue zone?

The blue lines only tell you the bay is paid and time-limited. The price, the hours and the maximum stay are shown on the parking meter or on a nearby sign, and they are set by each town. Always read the machine before you leave the car, because the numbers change from place to place.

What do R-308a and R-308b signs mean?

They control odd and even day parking on narrow streets. R-308a means no parking on that side on odd-numbered days of the month; R-308b means no parking on even days. You park on whichever side is allowed for today's date, and swap sides when the day changes.

Sources

• Reglamento General de Circulacion (Real Decreto 1428/2003).

Last updated: August 2026.