Administrative Procedures to Establish Permit Parking
Petitioning the City for a Permit Parking Area
a. Petitions to implement permit parking are available from the Department of Public Works or the City Clerk’s Office. A petition may also be downloaded.
b. Before circulating the petition, citizens should consult with the Traffic and Transportation Division (240-314-8500) to discuss the proposed parking permit district.
c. Only streets classified as “Primary Residential Class I”, “Primary Residential Class II”, or “Secondary Residential” are eligible for permit parking.
d. Unless approved by the City Manager or the Traffic and Transportation Commission, effective hours for permit parking districts shall be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Petitioners should discuss any requested diversion from these standards with Traffic and Transportation staff prior to submitting a petition.
e. One resident must take the lead responsibility to circulate the permit parking petition within the proposed permit parking area. Any resident 18 years of age or older is eligible to sign the petition and will represent the approval of his/her respective household. To be declared valid, the petition must be signed by one resident of at least 51% of the households in the affected area.
f. Applicants will submit completed petition(s) to Public Works’ Traffic and Transportation Department.
a. Traffic and Transportation staff, in consultation with the Police Department, will validate the petition. Petitions proposing boundaries that have been either gerrymandered, or otherwise manipulated to make posting or enforcement difficult will be declared invalid. Signatures on the petition will be verified by the Police Department.
Procedure for Petitions Affecting fifteen (15) Homes or Fewer
a. Once the petition is declared valid, Traffic and Transportation Division staff will provide written notice about the proposed permit parking to all residents or households directly contiguous to and within the proposed modification area. The notice will be sent via regular postal mail.
b. From the date of notice, at least 15 days will be given for residents to provide comment on the proposed permit parking.
c. Following the comment period, Traffic and Transportation staff, in consultation with the Police Department, will recommend approval or disapproval of the modification.
d. Within sixty (60) days of receiving the petition, the City Manager will approve or disapprove the modification and as appropriate. If the proposed permit parking area is approved the City Manager will authorize the installation of regulatory Permit Parking signs via a Traffic Order.
e. The Police Department will notify affected residents on the procedures to acquire a permit parking tag.
Procedure for Petitions Affecting More than fifteen (15) Homes
a. Once the petition is declared valid, Traffic and Transportation Division staff will provide written notice about the proposed permit parking to all residents or owners of property located within, adjoining, or adjacent to the area under consideration. The notice will be sent via regular postal mail.
b. From the date of notice, at least 15 days will be given for residents to provide comment on the proposed permit parking.
c. Traffic and Transportation staff will schedule the matter for public hearing before the Traffic and Transportation Commission. The date of the hearing will be at least 16 days after the initial notice is sent and will be announced in that notice.
d. At the public hearing, Traffic and Transportation staff, in consultation with the Police Department, will make recommendations regarding the proposed district.
e. As a result of the public hearing and staff recommendations, the Traffic and Transportation Commission will approve or disapprove the establishment of the permit parking are. This decision will be made within 60 days following their regular monthly meeting.
f. The City Clerk will notify the Mayor and Council of the Traffic and Transportation Commission’s decision. The Traffic and Transportation Commission’s decision goes into effect if the Mayor and Council do not rescind or modify that decision within 30 business days of the City Clerk’s notification.
g. If approved by the Traffic and Transportation Commission and not rescinded or modified by Mayor and Council, the City Manager will authorize the installation of appropriate regulatory signs via Traffic Order.
h. The Police Department will notify affected residents on the procedures to acquire a permit parking tag.
Preparation of the Permit Parking District
a. The City will install the required number of signs needed to achieve proper enforcement within the district. For zones in excess of 200 feet in length, additional signs with a double arrow will be placed at intermediate points.
b. Once a district is approved and signs are posted, the Police Department will issue a 30-day warning period from the time the signs are posted before fines are levied (in order to give sufficient time to residents to secure their permits).
Description, Distribution and Duration of Parking Permits
a. Once the permit parking district has been approved, the Police Department will notify all residents within the newly established district and provide an application form for parking permits. This application form must be returned in person or by mail to the Police Department with information on residence, vehicle registration, and vehicle license number. The parking permit can then be directly issued to the citizen at a cost of $10 per permit.
b. The City will use permits of different colors for fixed five-year periods. The permits sold later will be pro-rated for each year. For example, a permit sold during the third year would cost $6.00; one sold during the fifth year would cost $2.00.
c. Files are maintained in the Police Department listing all appropriate information on valid permits. These lists are distributed to Police Officers for enforcement purposes.
d. A valid parking permit must be displayed in the vehicle inside the lower left corner of the rear window (directly behind the driver). This sticker location inside the motor vehicle reduces theft potential. Convertibles and station wagons with adjustable back windows are not exempt from displaying the permit when parked in a permit-parking district.
e. In the event that:
i. a vehicle's license plate number changes; or
ii. a new motor vehicle is purchased; or
iii. the permit is lost, stolen or vandalized, or the vehicle is sold, the owner of the vehicle
will be provided with a new permit, and the old permit will be voided.
a. Two visitor permits shall be issued to each household located within a permit-parking district, which may be used only on motor vehicles of persons visiting the household.
b. Additional visitor permits are available, free of charge, for medical or other emergency services using unmarked vehicles. Requests for such additional permits must be made by the resident, and should be accompanied by appropriate documentation.
c. The use of a visitor pass by any individual residing within a household of a parking permit district for any purpose beyond that for which the visitor pass is issued shall be subject to a $100.00 fine for the first offense, $100.00 for the second offense, and he/she will lose the right to have a parking permit for one full year for the third offense.
Marked service vehicles, which are engaged in business to a household, are exempt from needing a parking permit.
A $40.00 fine will be levied against the owner of any motor vehicle parked in a permit-parking district during the prohibited hours not displaying a valid parking permit or visitor pass.
Administrative Procedures for Implementing Permit Parking Districts (.pdf)