Bakersfield Municipal Code Ch. 10.68 Parking Meters

Sections: 10.68.010 Definitions. 10.68.020 Establishment of zones and spaces. 10.68.030 Installation. 10.68.040 Operation. 10.68.050 Parking time limits. 10.68.060 Prohibited acts. 10.68.070 Enforcement—Reports—Notices of violation. 10.68.080 Exempted vehicles. 10.68.090 Meter collections. 10.68.100 Use of funds. 10.68.110 Chapter provisions supplementary.

When used in this chapter, the following words shall have the meanings specified in this section, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:

A. “Commercial vehicle” has the same meaning as those words are used in the Vehicle Code of the state.

B. “Operator” means and includes every individual who operates a vehicle as the owner thereof, or as the agent, employee or permittee of the owner, or is in actual physical control of a vehicle.

C. “Park” or “parking” means the standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, upon a street otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading passengers and/or merchandise.

D. “Parking meter” means and includes any mechanical device or meter not inconsistent with this chapter placed or erected for the regulation of parking by authority of this chapter.

E. “Parking meter space” means and includes any space within a parking meter zone, adjacent to a parking meter and which is duly designated for the parking of a single vehicle by lines painted or otherwise durably marked on the curb, or on the surface of the street or pavement, as the case may be, adjacent to or adjoining the parking meters.

F. “Parking meter zone” means and includes any street or portion thereof upon which parking meters are installed and in operation.

G. “Vehicle” means any device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported upon a highway, except a device which is operated upon rails or tracks. (Prior code § 11.12.010)

A. The city council of the city shall by resolution establish parking meter zones in such portions of the city as in their discretion will facilitate the orderly flow of vehicular traffic, the most efficient use of available parking space and enforcement of parking regulations.

B. Upon the establishment of such parking meter zones by the city council, the city manager shall cause parking meters to be installed therein and shall cause parking meter spaces to be designated as provided in subsection C of this section, and shall fix the time limitations for legal parking in such zones and shall indicate the time limitations by designating the same on the parking meter or meters or by appropriate signs and/or curb markings posted in compliance with the traffic ordinances of the city.

C. He shall cause to be marked off individual parking spaces in the parking zones, said parking spaces to be indicated by lines painted or durably marked on the curbing or surface of the street or pavement, as the case may be.

D. At each space so marked off, it is unlawful to park any vehicle in such a way that said vehicle is not entirely within the limits of the space so indicted. (Prior code § 11.12.020)

A. Parking meters for off-street parking shall be installed on off-street parking lots or structures by erecting said meters upon a portion of the pavement immediately adjacent to designated parking spaces, and shall be subject to the same regulations set forth in subsection B of this section applicable to street parking meters.

B. Parking meters for street parking shall be installed upon the curbs or sidewalks immediately adjacent to the parking spaces provided in Section 10.68.020. Each device shall be so set as to display a signal showing legal parking upon the deposit of the appropriate coin or coins, lawful money of the United States of America, for the period of time prescribed as provided in Section 10.68.050. Each device shall be so arranged that when operated, it shall at all times indicate the unexpired legal parking time and upon the expiration of said lawful time limit it will indicate by a proper visible signal that the lawful parking limit has expired and in such cases the right of such vehicle to occupy such space shall cease and the owner or operator thereof shall be subject to the penalties provided in this chapter. (Prior code § 11.12.030)

A. Except in a period of emergency determined by an officer of the fire or police department, or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or traffic-control sign or signal, when any vehicle is parked in any parking space alongside or next to which a parking meter is located, the operator of such vehicle shall, upon entering the said parking meter space, immediately deposit or cause to be deposited in said meter such proper coin or coins of the United States as are required for such parking meter and as are designated by proper directions on the meter, and when required by the direction on the meter, the operator of such vehicle, after the deposit of the proper coin or coins, shall also set in operation the timing mechanism on such meter in accordance with directions properly appearing thereon, and failure to deposit such proper coin or coins, and to set the timing mechanism in operation when so required, shall constitute a violation of this chapter.

B. Upon the deposit of such coin or coins and the setting of the timing mechanism in operation when so required, the parking space may be lawfully occupied by such vehicle during the period that such meter indicates legal parking, not exceeding the period of time which has been prescribed as the legal parking time limit for the part of the street in which said parking space is located; provided, that any person placing a vehicle in a parking meter space adjacent to a meter which indicates that unused time has been left in the meter by a previous occupant shall not be required to deposit a coin so long as his occupancy of said space does not exceed the indicated unused parking time.

C. If said vehicle remains parked in any such parking space beyond the parking time limit set for such parking space, or if the meter indicates illegal parking, then, and in that event, such vehicle shall be considered as parking overtime and beyond the period of legal parking time, and such parking shall be deemed a violation of this chapter.

D. Each period of time equivalent to the legal parking time limit set for any parking space, or fraction of such period, during which a vehicle remains parked in such parking space while the parking meter is showing a signal indicating that such space is illegally in use, shall constitute a separate offense under this chapter. (Prior code § 11.12.040)

A. The basic unit of parking time on the parking meters shall be twelve minutes, which shall be secured by the deposit of one cent in the parking meter adjacent to said parking space; and each additional unit of twelve minutes parking time shall be secured by the deposit of an additional coin of one cent.

B. In designated one-hour parking meters, it shall be lawful to secure the maximum parking period by depositing five one-cent coins or one five-cent coin.

C. In designated two-hour parking meters, it shall be lawful to secure the maximum parking period by depositing ten one-cent coins or two five-cent coins, or five one-cent coins and one five-cent coin.

D. The basic unit of parking time on off-street parking meters shall be one-half hour, which parking time shall be secured by the deposit of one five-cent coin in the parking meter adjacent to said parking space, and each additional unit of one hour or one-half hour parking time, as the case may be, shall be secured by the deposit of an additional five-cent coin.

E. No person shall park any vehicle in any parking space, except as otherwise permitted by this chapter, without immediately depositing in the parking meter adjacent to said space such lawful coin or coins of the United States as are required by such meter and as designated by directions on the meter, setting in operation the timing mechanism thereof in accordance with said directions, unless said parking meter indicates at the time such vehicle is parked that an unexpired portion remains of the period for which a coin or coins have been previously deposited; provided, however, that the standing or parking of a vehicle in any parking meter space beyond the maximum legal parking time shall constitute a violation of this chapter, regardless of the number or denominations of coins deposited.

F. Said parking meters shall be operated in said parking meter zones every day between the hours of eight a.m. and six p.m., except holidays, or as may be determined by the city manager. (Ord. 2607 § 9, 1980; Ord. 2566 § 1, 1980; prior code § 11.12.050)

It is unlawful and a violation of the provisions of this chapter for any person:

A. To cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle registered in the name of or operated by such person, to be parked overtime, or beyond the period of legal parking time established for any parking meter;

B. To deposit or cause to be deposited in a parking meter any coin for the purpose of parking beyond the maximum legal parking time fixed for parking in the particular parking space for which said parking meter is placed;

C. To permit any vehicle to remain or to be placed in any parking space adjacent to any parking meter while said meter is displaying a signal indicating that the vehicle occupying such parking space has already been parked beyond the period prescribed for such parking space;

D. To park any vehicle across any line or marking of a parking meter space or in such position that the vehicle is not entirely within the area designated by such lines or markings;

E. To park any vehicle in a parking space during any time when the parking meter adjacent thereto indicates that the lawful parking period has expired, excluding the time required to operate the meter to show legal parking;

F. To deface, injure, tamper with, open, or wilfully break, destroy or impair the usefulness of any parking meter installed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, or to hitch any animal thereto, or to lean any bicycle against any meter;

G. To deposit or cause to be deposited in any parking meter any coin which is not a legal coin of the United States, or any defaced or bent coin, or any slugs, device or metallic substitute for lawful coins of the United States;

H. To deposit any coin in any parking meter without the knowledge and consent of the owner or operator of a vehicle using the parking meter space immediately adjacent to said meter;

I. To erase any traffic-control marking legally placed on the tires of any vehicle, which marking is used for the purpose of identifying vehicles parked beyond the maximum legal parking time fixed for parking in the particular parking space. (Prior code § 11.12.060)

It shall be the duty of the chief of police to enforce the provisions of this chapter. It shall be the duty of police officers of the city, acting in accordance with instructions issued by the chief of police:

A. To keep an account of and report the number of each parking meter which indicates that the vehicle occupying the parking space adjacent to such parking meter is or has been parked in violation of the provisions of this chapter, the date and hour of such violation, the make and state license number of such vehicle, and any other facts, knowledge of which is necessary to a thorough understanding of the circumstances attending such violation;

B. To issue and attach to such vehicle a notice to the owner or operator thereof that such vehicle has been parked in violation of the provisions of this chapter, and instructing such owner or operator to report to the office of the judge of the municipal court for the Bakersfield judicial district in regard to such violation. Each such owner or operator shall, within the time specified on such notice, pay to the judge of the municipal court, as a penalty for and in full satisfaction of such violation, a sum to be determined by the judge of the municipal court. (Prior code § 11.12.070)

A. Vehicles owned or operated by any department of the federal, state, county, municipality, or other political public agency, while being used by an employee of the department or agency in line of duty of the employee, and any vehicle of a public utility while necessarily in use for construction or repair work, shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter.

B. Commercial vehicles may park in parking spaces to load or unload merchandise without depositing coins in the parking meters adjacent thereto, for a period not to exceed twenty minutes. Should any such commercial vehicle be parked longer than twenty minutes, the owner or operator thereof will be given a notice as provided for in Section 10.68.070, and the regular penalty imposed.

C. Vehicles while actually in use for construction or repair work upon the public streets, or property adjacent thereto, may park in parking spaces, without depositing any coins, upon special written permit therefor being issued by the chief of police.

D. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of the ordinance codified in this chapter, whenever a person is physically disabled by reason of infirmity which prevents such person from walking, or which causes great discomfort or unusual hardship to such person when walking, and such person operates a motor vehicle, such person shall be entitled to park such vehicle free of charge for a period of time not to exceed twice the period of time designated on the parking meter adjacent to the space occupied by the vehicle.

2. Such disabled person so permitted to park his vehicle as set forth in this subsection, shall possess a card, to be exhibited when requested by any peace officer, which said card shall have been issued by the chief of police, certifying that such disabled person meets the requirements of this subsection and identifying the vehicle.

3. Such vehicle shall bear a small but conspicuous sticker indicating the right to park as provided in this subsection, the sticker to be approved by the chief of police and to be at all times displayed on the front windshield in the lower corner farthest removed from the driver’s position. (Prior code § 11.12.080)

It shall be the duty of the city manager to designate some person or persons duly bonded in the sum of five thousand dollars to make regular collections of the money deposited in the meters and it shall be the duty of the persons so designated to make such collections and to deliver the money collected to the city treasurer. (Prior code § 11.12.090)

All moneys collected from parking meters shall be placed in a special fund which is created, established and designated as the “Parking Meter Fund,” which fund shall be used exclusively for the following purposes:

A. To defray the cost of purchasing, leasing, acquiring, installing, operating, inspecting, repairing, maintaining, supervising, regulating and controlling the parking meters described in this chapter;

B. The purchasing, leasing, or otherwise acquiring of off-street parking facilities for the use of the public within the city, and the operation, maintenance, supervision, regulation and control thereof;

C. For the purpose of payment of the principal of and interest on or otherwise securing any off-street parking revenue bonds issued under Sections 33.1, 33.2 and 33.3 of the Charter of the city and under any resolution adopted by the council pursuant to the sections, or for any other legal purpose provided for in any such resolution. (Prior code § 11.12.100)

This chapter, so far as consistent therewith, shall be deemed to be in addition and supplementary to, and not in conflict with nor a repeal of prior or existing ordinances of the city, but shall be an additional provision for the regulation of traffic and parking in the parking meter zones provided for in this chapter. (Prior code § 11.12.120)