The metered parking areas throughout Washington D.C. are managed, controlled and maintained by the Department of Public Works for the District of Columbia. The D.C. Department of Public Works maintains the traffic flow areas associated with parking under the authority of the Department of Transportation. This agency works in conjunction with local law enforcement officials to distribute parking tickets for vehicles that have allowed time to expire on parking meters. Additional responsibilities of the D.C. Department of Public Works includes removing abandoned vehicles, impounding cars and trucks that have been left unattended for extensive periods of time and housing all impounded vehicles at an agency controlled location until the vehicle's owner pays for the car's retrieval and release.
Parking meters throughout D.C., in the past, were easily recognizable as they were placed beside each parking space that had been deemed an appropriate parking spot. With the advent of technologies such as multi-space meters, you may have to look a few spaces in either direction to find the meter that corresponds to your vehicle's spot. Throughout Washington you will find traditional meters that use coins and multi-space machines that accept both cash and credit cards. Metered parking spaces are along most streets utilized by general traffic.
Parking at meters in Washington, D.C. is relatively affordable compared to parking in garages in the city. Parking meters make financial sense when you will be using them for short periods of time. Metered rate parking is enforced Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 a.m. through 6:30 p.m. It is not necessary to pay for metered parking during the weekends or on federally recognized holidays. In high traffic areas the hourly cost for metered parking is $2 per hour; low traffic zones 75 cents per hour.
When vehicles overstay at a parking space and time on the meter has expired, the D.C. Police Department, under the authority of the D.C. Department of Public Works, can issue parking tickets to those vehicles. Typically, when you return to your vehicle and the meter is expired, you will be met with a ticket attached to the windshield. The fees and fines associated with expired meters can vary.
The total fees associated with the parking ticket are disclosed on the back half of the ticket itself. It is imperative that you pay the fine in a timely manner to avoid accruing additional fines and penalties. If you have any questions or concerns in terms of paying your charges, contact the Department of Motor Vehicles and discuss your situation. In addition, you may contact the department if you qualify for any special parking permits that will allow you to bypass the metered parking system. Allowances are made for temporary residents, health care workers and disabled individuals.
