Can Lexington ticket drivers parked in front of their home? See citation, towing rules
After issuing and then waiving several tickets to vehicles parked on the city’s streets in the wake of Winter Storm Blair, Lexington’s Parking Authority resumed its usual enforcement this week.
That includes enforcing the city’s ordinance against 24-hour, on-street parking, among other parking rules the authority, known as LexPark, enforces for the city.
“LexPark enforces for the city. So it is the city’s ordinance that we enforce, along with the police department,” Laura Boison, LexPark’s executive director, told the Herald-Leader Tuesday in explaining the agency’s mission.
“A lot of these ordinances are based upon the need for safety,” including the need to clear city streets of snow, Boison added.
In 2024, LexPark issued 47,988 citations, and as of Jan. 15, the agency has already 4,197 citations this year.
If you need a refresher, here’s a quick overview of the city’s parking laws, including what kind of violations could get your vehicle ticketed or towed.
What is Lexington’s 24-hour parking ordinance?
Section 18-122 of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Code of Ordinances states the parking of any vehicle on any street for more than 24 hours is prohibited, and that any vehicle parked beyond that amount of time can be considered a public nuisance. This includes residential streets in front of homes.
Under the ordinance, parking enforcement officers are allowed to attach notices on illegally parked vehicles demanding they be moved within 24 hours. If it remains there past that point, the vehicle can be impounded.
According to Boison, this type of violation can also come with a $15 fine for the citation.
Rules against overnight parking in Lexington
In addition to restrictions on 24-hour, on-street parking, Lexington also prohibits overnight parking on several city streets.
Section 18-123 prohibits parking between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. on the following streets, except in emergency situations. These areas are also marked by signs, according to the ordinance.
East to west direction:
Vine Street to Main to Main
Main Street from Jefferson to Midland
Short Street from Spring to Esplanade
Barr Street from North Limestone to Walnut
Pleasant Stone Street from North Limestone to Walnut
North and south direction:
Broadway from High to 2nd
Mill Street from High to 2nd
Cheapside from Short to Main
Market Street from Short to Church
Upper Street from High to 2nd
Limestone Street from High to 3rd
Walnut Street from Main to Pleasant Stone
Quality Street from Main to Vine
Deweese Street from Main to Short
Other Lexington parking rules
Lexington’s parking ordinance also prohibits parking in any of the following places, per section 18-199:
In front of a public or private driveway
Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
On a sidewalk
Within an intersection
On a crosswalk
Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection
Within 30 feet upon the approach to any flashing beacon, stop sign or traffic control signal located at the side of the roadway.
In any park area in any street, or in any parkway dividing two streets
Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station within 75 feet of such entrance when signs are posted
Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when such stopping, standing or parking would obstruct traffic
On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street
Upon any bridge or other elevated structure
Any place where official signs or marking prohibit stopping, standing and parking
On a yellow curb
Meter enforcement
According to LexPark, meter enforcement hours are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Rates are between $0.75 to $2 per hour, depending on the area.
Parking in metered spaces is free all day Saturday, Sunday and on certain holidays. These holidays include:
- New Year’s Day
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Presidents Day
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas Day
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