Parking in DC can be a headache. With knowledge and tips, parking in DC can be mindless. Below you will find a list of helpful links to make parking easier.
Parking Meters
The most important thing that you need to do to avoid parking tickets while parking on the street is read and understand the posted sign and their meaning. Enforcement in metered parking can be tricky, by this I mean that it is not enforced by the physical spot your car is in but rather the zone you are parked in. With a 2 hour time limit you park at 2:00pm in zone x, you notice that it is approaching 4:00pm so you move your car across the street, still in zone x, thinking you are safe from receiving a parking ticket. Think again, you are still parking in the same zone, you need to move your car to zone y to avoid ticketing.
Here is a map of district wide rates as well as hours of operations. In addition it is very important to remember that the parking meters in DC only accept coins, they do not accept paper money or credit cards. Also keep in mind the Secret Service has the ability to move your car if it happens to be in the President’s path. They will do this without warning and it is up to you to figure out where they moved it to, typically they will move it to a nearby street.
Disability Parking
DC allows anyone who has a disabled permit to park in disabled parking spaces as well as the ability to park in metered spaces, or time restricted spaces for double the posted time in red top metered parking. You are not able to park in prohibited areas, in reserved spaces for anything other than disabled parking or anywhere that presents a traffic hazard. Also keep in mind that you must have a disability permit issued from the District of Columbia, permits from elsewhere in the country are invalid.
Additional Parking Links:
Parking Companies in DC shows you a list of the major parking companies along with the ability to view where they have locations in addition to what type of parking structure it is.
Helium.com provides great information for tourists traveling to DC that may be unfamiliar to parking in and around DC area. They talk about where parking is easier to find during different times of the day. In addition they mention that the Secret Service can move your car if they feel it is in the way of The President’s way, and The Secret Service does not have to tell you they moved your vehicle.
washingtondcparking.com has a lot of great information about permit parking in DC including how enforcement and ticketing works along with cost of the basic parking ticket. Most tickets are $25, $50, and $100, but they can be as high as $500 for excessive idling. They talk about owning a car in DC, what signs to look out for, where to look for free parking, and the two hour parking rule. The two hour parking rule consists of cars in a busy areas can be parked in specific zones for no longer than 2 hours.
Commercial Vehicles defined by The District is an oversized vehicle:
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If your vehicle is outside the restrictions above you are required to obtain a permit.
Residential Permit Parking To acquire a residential permit you should go to the DMV with your current vehicle registration as well as a valid Drivers License.
If you feel like you were wrongfully ticketed and you’re thinking about disputing it here are a few ideas to see if it is worth disputing.
Photo Credit: edgarzuniga