Gotcha! 3 Parking Rules to Remember
These little-known laws will get you a ticket in Seattle faster than you think.
By Patrick Hutchison February 16, 2012
This article originally appeared in the March 2012 issue of Seattle magazine.
Every month, 97 Seattle Police Department parking enforcement officers print around 45,000 citations (about 7 percent of the city’s total population). While most tickets are for commonsense infractions—the most common: not paying or letting your time expire—there are a few lesser-known ways to end up with the dreaded envelope tucked under your wiper.
Seattle Municipal Code: 11.72.240
Rolling forward—or even moving your car across the street—won’t give you more minutes in a time-restricted parking area. If you want to reset the clock, you have to move to a different block.
Seattle Municipal Code: 11.72.090
Safety and better visibility for pedestrians is at the heart of this rule, which restricts parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, whether it’s marked or unmarked.
Seattle Municipal Code: 11.72.145
Don’t assume that you can only get ticketed for expired tabs while driving. Officers can fine licensing violations—including missing plates and expired tabs—on parked cars, too.
Most parking violations in Seattle carry a $47 fine. The big exception? Park in a handicapped space without the proper placard and you’ll be slapped with a $250 fine. Park with a fake or borrowed placard and you could be fined $450!
Follow Us
Barnes & Noble Is Coming Back to Downtown Seattle
The bookseller will open a new flagship at 520 Pike, marking the largest retail lease in downtown Seattle since 2020.
Barnes & Noble is returning to downtown Seattle for the first time since early 2020. The national bookseller has signed a 10-year lease for a new flagship at 520 Pike Street, a 29-story tower, taking over 17,538 square feet on the corner of Pike and 6th Avenue. The store is expected to open in the…
Le Petit Chef Makes a Big Splash in Seattle
The immersive, whimsical dining experience debuts at the Kimpton Palladian Hotel.
At a recent dinner, I sat across from a friend, smiling as a tiny orange-and-black butterfly landed on my empty plate. Just inches away, a small figure in chef whites and red boots strolled out of a greenhouse with a rake perched over his shoulder. He then proceeded to work a patch of dirt, plant…
A Citywide Toast to Sockeye
40 Seattle-area restaurants are teaming up for the fourth annual Bristol Bay Salmon Week.
Seattle’s fishing culture is something to be proud of. Drive over the Ballard Bridge on any given day and you’ll see the fleet docked below. The weathered, working boats stacked with gear, waiting for their next trip north, are striking, aren’t they? It’s hard, dangerous work, and there’s something so compelling and fierce about the…
Restaurant Roundup: Halal Bagels and Mario Party
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
OK, we’ll say it—we love Seattle Restaurant Week, but it also gives us a little bit of anxiety and a lot of FOMO. There are just so many choices. Hundreds of restaurants, food carts, cafes, and bars can be a tad overwhelming, but 10? That’s a much more manageable number. Thankfully, Secret Seattle put together…