CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the Traffic Code; revising restricted parking zone program fees for restricted parking zone permits and guest permits; clarifying language related to the transition to virtual, license plate-based permitting; and amending Sections 3.12.120, 11.16.319, and 11.72.351 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
body
WHEREAS, the restricted parking zone (RPZ) program was established by Ordinance 108354 in 1979 to ease parking congestion in residential neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, RPZ fees were last updated by Ordinance 123448 in 2010 and since then Seattle’s density and population have grown substantially; and
WHEREAS, the current permit fee is $65 for two years, plus one two-year guest permit per household, and permit fees are intended to cover the costs for administering the program; and
WHEREAS, the annual fees of residential parking permits in other comparable cities range from $50 to $450; and
WHEREAS, as demand for RPZ permits grows, requiring additional staff to meet customer service objectives, it is consistent with Seattle Municipal Code Section 3.12.120 to use money from RPZ fees to hire additional staff; and
WHEREAS, due to growing volumes of zones and permits, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Traffic Permit Counter staff are frequently unable to handle applications, emails, and phone calls in a timely manner, and temporary contract labor has been used; and
WHEREAS, SDOT Curbside Management staff are often unable to handle the volume of requests for new zones and additions to existing zones, and they often do not have the capacity to effectively analyze and query RPZ data to fully understand how the program is operating; and
WHEREAS, SDOT is transitioning to virtual, license plate-based permitting, in which there are no physical permits, and enforcement is by license plate recognition (LPR) systems, and the Seattle Municipal Code needs to be accordingly updated; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 11.16.319 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 123448, is amended as follows:
11.16.319 Fees for restricted parking zone permits((; Waiver or reduction of fees.))
((A.)) The parking fees to be collected by the Seattle Department of Transportation for restricted parking zone permits are as follows:
|
Type of Permit |
Fee |
|
RPZ Resident or Business parking permit |
((65.00)) $95 |
|
((Temporary)) RPZ 60-Day Short Term permit |
$25((.00 for first 60-day period; $25.00 for second 60-day period)) |
|
RPZ Guest permit ((issued with resident permit)) |
(($30.00)) $95 |
|
((Guest permit as only permit |
65.00)) |
|
RPZ Replacement permit (of ((r))Resident ((and guest)) , Business, or Guest permit) |
(($15.00 for first permit, $25.00 for second permit)) $20 |
|
RPZ ((Elderly/low-i))Income-eligible ((permanent)) permit |
$10((.00)) |
|
RPZ Single-day ((g))Guest permit |
$1((.00)) |
((B. The Director of Transportation may waive or reduce an RPZ fee in subsection A whenever:
1. the waiver or reduction is in the overall public interest due to extraordinary facts or circumstances,
2. the waiver or reduction is consistent with the goals of the RPZ program, or
3. dire consequences may result if the request is denied.))
Section 2. Section 11.72.351 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 124063, is amended as follows:
11.72.351 Restricted parking zone((.))
A. No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle in violation of the posted or marked restrictions or when a permit or other authorization issued by the city is required as a condition for parking unless the following permit or placard is displayed: (1) an RPZ permit pursuant to ((chapter)) Chapter 11.16 ((SMC)); (2) a free-floating car sharing permit pursuant to Section 11.23.160; or (3) a disabled placard permit, license plate, or year tab pursuant to ((RCW 46.19.030 or 46.19.070)) chapter 46.19 RCW. Motorcycles and scooters are authorized to park in an RPZ without an RPZ permit. It shall be a violation of this ((section)) Section 11.72.351 if:
1. The RPZ permit does not match the vehicle;
2. A guest permit is being used improperly;
3. The zone permit does not match the zone where vehicle is parked, or
4. The vehicle is parked within the same zone as the permit indicates, but it is parked more than six blocks away from the address for which the permit is issued.
B. It is unlawful and is a parking infraction to display an RPZ permit in an improper location on a vehicle. ((The)) If an RPZ permit is a physical permit, it must be affixed to the vehicle ((at the lower center of the rear window for which it is issued unless the vehicle is a truck, a vehicle without a rear window, has a dark-tinted rear window or a surface defroster, or where the Seattle Department of Transportation has approved an exemption, whereby the permit may, in the alternative, be placed in the lower left-hand corner of the driver's side front windshield)) in accordance with conditions of use.
C. It is unlawful and is a parking infraction to sell, transfer, purchase, or otherwise acquire for value a permit ((or decal)) issued by the City per ((SMC)) Section 11.16.315 or 11.16.316 and to subsequently use ((or display)) the permit to park in an RPZ.
Section 3. Section 3.12.120 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125492, is amended as follows:
3.12.120 Disposition of permit fees
Fees collected by the Seattle Department of Transportation for permits or other means of extending parking privileges in any restricted parking zone, as authorized in ((Seattle Municipal Code)) Section 11.16.120, shall be deposited in the Transportation Fund for the purpose of reimbursing ongoing operating and capital costs of ((restricted parking zones)) the Restricted Parking Zone program.
Section 4. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force 30 days after its approval by the Mayor, but if not approved and returned by the Mayor within ten days after presentation, it shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Section 1.04.020.
Passed by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2022, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of _________________________, 2022.
____________________________________
President ____________ of the City Council
Approved / returned unsigned / vetoed this _____ day of _______________, 2022.
____________________________________
Bruce A. Harrell, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2022.
____________________________________
Elizabeth M. Adkisson, Interim City Clerk
(Seal)