The City of Williamsburg is cracking down on abuse of its guest parking permits, which have allowed residents’ guests to park on the city’s streets without fear of tickets.
City Council approved Thursday an amendment to the Residential Parking Permit program that limits the number of guest passes available to homes in the city and also increases the fines for misuse. Council voted 4-1, with Scott Foster dissenting because he objected to escalating fines for repeat offenders.
The changes will reduce the maximum number of guest permits from three to two for properties that only contain one home. For properties that contain multiple dwelling units, one guest pass is allowed per dwelling.
It is now also illegal to sell or convey a residential parking permit to a third party. In addition, the city can now revoke permits that have been used in violation of City Code. Passes are valid for one year.
Previously, violators were issued $25 fines. Now, the city is instituting an escalating fine structure. Fines will now cost $25 for a first offense, $50 for the second offense within a year of the first offense and $75 for the third or subsequent offense within a year of the second offense. If a payment is made after notification from the Police Department, the amount of the fine will increase another $20.
Foster, a law student at The College of William & Mary, objected to the increasing fines, saying that for students in the area, “$25 already hurts.” He wondered if the higher costs would be more of a deterrent when $25 already feels expensive. He said he has received two within a span of a year in the past. City Manager Jack Tuttle said that even with an increase in fine amounts, the city’s parking fines aren’t as expensive as fines on campus.
In October, Vice Mayor Paul Freiling asked city staff provide an update on how the city’s residential permit parking hang tag policy works and whether it could be improved. At the Nov. 5 meeting, Tuttle said the program, which started more than 20 years ago, was mostly a success but found the improper use of the hang tag permits was a growing problem.
The city has six color-coded residential parking zones and each guest hang tag indicates its assigned neighborhood. In November, staff reported that out of 496 eligible dwelling units, owners or renters had purchased 548 permanent parking permits and 606 guest passes. By further limiting the number of guest passes, the city believes there will be less opportunity for the program to be abused.
