Calexico Municipal Code Ch. 10.28 Parking Meters and Zones

Footnotes:

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Editor's note— Ord. No. 1243, § 1, adopted April 2, 2025, amended Chapter 10.28 in its entirety to read as herein set out. Former Ch. 10.28, §§ 10.28.010—10.28.240, pertained to similar subject matter, and derived from Ord. 445 § 1 (part), 1953: prior code §§ 6801—6806, 6811, 6812, 6813, 6814, 6814.1, 6824, 6824.1, 6826, 6831, 6841, 6842, 6851, 6853, 6861, 6862, 6871, 6881—6883; Ord. 465 § 4, 1955; Ord. 672 § 1, 1974; Ord. 731 §§ 1—4, 1978; Ord. 768 § 2, 1979; Ord. 796 §§ 1, 3, 4, 1980: ; Ord. 798 §§ 1, 2, 1981; Ord. 818 § 1, 1982; Ord. 836 § 1, 1982; Ord. 918 § 8, 1992; Ord. No. 1082, § 1, 7-15-08; Ord. 1013 §§ 4, 6, 2004; Ord. No. 1145, § 1(HH), 10-2-2012; Ord. No. 1238, §§ 3, 4, 4-17-24.

A. The definition of any term used in this chapter not otherwise defined in this section shall be the same as such term is defined and described in the California Vehicle Code, as amended.

B. For the purposes of this chapter, the following words shall have the following meanings:

1. "Operator" means and includes every individual or person who operates a vehicle as the owner thereof or as agent, employee or permittee of the owner.

2. "Overtime parking" means the act of a vehicle remaining parked in a parking meter zone beyond the maximum time limit established for that zone, regardless of whether payment was made for a portion of the parking duration. This includes situations where a parking meter expires after the maximum allowable time has been reached or where a vehicle exceeds a posted time restriction (e.g. a two-hour time limit) even if additional payment is attempted.

3. "Park" or "parking" means the standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading passengers or merchandise.

4. "Parking meter" means any device or system that accepts payment, such as coins, credit cards, debit cards, mobile applications, or other forms approved by the city, to regulate the time a vehicle may occupy a parking space.

5. "Person" means and includes an individual, firm, corporation or co-partnership.

6. "Police chief" means the police chief of the City of Calexico or their designee.

7. "Street" means any public street, avenue, road, boulevard, highway or other public place located in the city and established for the use of vehicles.

8. "Vehicle" means any device in, upon or by which any person or property may be transported upon a street or highway, except those operated upon rails or tracks.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

A. The city council shall by ordinance, from time to time as traffic conditions require, establish zones to be known as "parking meter zones" upon such streets or portions of streets of the city as are selected for the location of said parking meter zones, pursuant to California Vehicle Code section 22508(a). The police chief shall cause parking meters to be installed and shall cause parking meter spaces to be designated as provided in this chapter. The city council may change or eliminate any of said zones from time to time by ordinance.

B. The following parking meter zones have been established pursuant to this chapter:

1. Zone 1: Downtown zone. The downtown parking meter zone encompasses the central commercial district of the City of Calexico, designed to regulate parking and facilitate traffic flow in an area of high pedestrian and vehicular activity. The western boundary is the railroad tracks running parallel to the downtown area. The eastern boundary is Mary Avenue. The northern boundary is Fifth Street. The southern boundary is the U.S.-Mexico border.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

The police chief is authorized to install or place parking meters in such parking meter zones provided for in this chapter, consistent with California Vehicle Code section 22508(b).

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

Parking meters installed in the parking meter zones established as provided in section 10.28.020 of this chapter shall be placed upon the curb immediately adjacent to the individual parking places described in this chapter. Each parking meter shall be placed or set in such manner as to show or display by a signal that the parking space adjacent to such meter is or is not legally in use. Each parking meter shall be set to display, upon the deposit of coins therein or use of credit cards, debit cards, mobile applications, or other approved methods, a sign or display indicating legal parking for the period of time for which the fee for parking has been paid, not to exceed the limit of parking time which has been or may be established for the area or zone of the street upon which said parking meter is installed. Each parking meter shall continue to operate from the time of the deposit of such payment therein until the expiration of the time fixed as the parking limit for the part of the street upon which the meter is placed. Each meter shall also be so arranged that upon the expiration of the legal parking time it will indicate by a mechanical or electronic operation by proper signal that the lawful parking period has expired. The city council shall set the fee for parking in a parking meter zone by ordinance.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

The police chief is instructed to have lines or markings painted or placed upon the curb and/or upon the street adjacent to each parking meter for the purpose of designating the parking space for which the meter is to be used, and each vehicle parking alongside of or next to any parking meter shall park within the lines or markings so established. It is unlawful and a violation of this chapter to park any vehicle across any such line or marking or to park said vehicle in such position that the same shall not be entirely within the area so designated by such lines or markings.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

When a parking space in any parking meter zone is parallel to the adjacent curb or sidewalk, any vehicle parked in such parking space shall be parked so that the foremost part of such vehicle is alongside of and nearest the parking meter. When a parking space in any parking meter zone is diagonal to the curb or sidewalk, any vehicle parked in such parking space shall be parked with the foremost part of such vehicle directly at and nearest to such meter.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

The parking meters provided for in this chapter shall be operated in the parking meter zones established by this chapter every day 24 hours a day, provided, however, that whenever the council of the city provides by resolution or by ordinance that the parking time limits shall be effective at other times, said parking meters shall be operated during all of the times within which the parking time limit is effective.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25; Ord. No. 1246, § 1, 7-16-25)

It is unlawful for any person to permit a vehicle to remain parked overtime or beyond the period of legal parking time established for any parking meter zone.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

The operator of a vehicle shall upon entering a parking space in a parking meter zone immediately pay the required parking fee using an approved method for the entire period during which the vehicle will be parked in the space. It is unlawful and a violation of the provisions of this chapter for any person to make additional payments increasing or extending the parking time of any vehicle: (a) beyond the legal parking time which has been established for the parking space adjacent to which said parking meter is placed, or (b) beyond the time paid for upon entering the space.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

It is unlawful for any unauthorized person to deface, injure, tamper with, open or willfully break, destroy or impair the usefulness of any parking meters installed under the provisions of this chapter.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

It is unlawful and a violation of this chapter to deposit or cause to be deposited in any parking meter any slug, device or substitute for a lawful coin of the United States.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

The parking meter fees, as provided in this chapter, are levied and assessed to provide for the proper regulation and control of traffic upon the public streets, and to cover the cost of acquirement of meters, supervision, inspection, installation, operation, maintenance, control and use of the parking spaces and parking meters described in this chapter; and also the cost of supervising and regulating the parking of vehicles in the parking meter zones created by this chapter. Any excess revenues remaining over and above the revenues required for the purposes stated in this section may be appropriated to any other funds which the city council may from time to time determine and authorize by resolution.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

The police chief is authorized, and it shall be his or her duty, to designate some person or persons to make regular collections of any money deposited in the parking meters established under the provisions of this chapter. It shall be the duty of such person or persons so designated to collect and deliver to the finance director/city treasurer of the city all money deposited in the parking meters; and the finance director/city treasurer shall keep accurate account of all the parking meter money so delivered and other payments received electronically. All parking fee payments made may be expended to meet the costs and expenditures involved in the inspection, repair, regulation, installation, operation, control and use of the parking spaces and parking meters described in this chapter, and the costs involved in the regulation and control of the parking of vehicles and the control of traffic which may affect or be affected by the parking of vehicles in the parking meter zones created by this chapter, including the purchase, replacement, installation, repair, servicing and operation of mechanical or electrical traffic signals for the direction of said traffic or said parking, and the cost of painting streets, curbs and sidewalks with appropriate markings, lines and signs, and the purchase, construction, erection, repair and replacement of street and curb signs for the direction of said traffic or said parking, and for the cost of patrolling said parking meter zones and enforcing therein all traffic laws and regulations concerning the parking of vehicles and the movement of traffic which may affect or be affected by such parking of vehicles, or for any of said purposes, and for such other purposes as the city council may by resolution designate.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

The parking meter rate that will apply to all parking meter zones established in this chapter shall be as follows:

• 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. - $1.00/hour, two-hour maximum.

• 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. - $2.00/hour, "pay as you go" structure.

• Enforcement seven (7) days a week, including Sundays.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25; Ord. No. 1246, § 1, 7-16-25)

The city council is authorized to establish, by resolution, off-street parking facilities upon any property within the city which is owned by the city, and the city council is further authorized to establish off-street parking facilities on such other property in the city which it may acquire for such purposes either by purchase or lease.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

The city council is authorized to install parking meters upon any off-street facilities which it may acquire for parking purposes, the operation, regulation and control of which is subject to all of the other provisions contained in this chapter pertaining to the installation, operation, regulation and control of parking meters.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

Any ordinance establishing parking meter zones on state highways within the city shall cease to be operative six months after receipt by the council of written notice of withdrawal of the approval of the state department of transportation.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

Any ordinance establishing parking meter zones on state highways within the city shall be subject to the approval of the state department of transportation. Accompanying the ordinance, transmitted for the department's approval, shall be a sketch or map showing definite proposed locations of the parking meter stalls. The sketch shall show that the space required for at least two parallel parking stalls at the approach side and on the leaving side of an intersection shall not be used for parking and the curb shall be painted red to give notice of such parking prohibition.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

It is the policy of the state department of transportation not to approve ordinances or resolutions for diagonal parking on state highways within cities.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

The following vehicles are exempt from parking meter fees:

A. Emergency vehicles on active duty.

B. Vehicles displaying valid disabled parking permits, permitted by California Vehicle Code Section 22511.5.

C. City-owned or operated vehicles during official business.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

A violation of any provision of this chapter shall constitute a misdemeanor.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)

A. Parking enforcement officers are authorized to issue administrative citations for violations, including but not limited to:

1. Expired meter.

2. Illegal parking in a metered zone (e.g., overtime parking, or parking without payment).

3. Unauthorized use of disabled parking spaces.

B. Administrative citation fines may be issued for violations of this chapter, as follows:

1. Expired meter: $25 for the first offense, $50 for subsequent offenses within a 12 month period.

2. Illegal parking in a metered zone: $50 for the first offense, $100 for subsequent offenses within a 12 month period.

3. Unauthorized use of disabled parking spaces: $200 for the first offense, $500 for subsequent offenses within a 12 month period.

C. Repeat offenses within 12 months may result in towing at the vehicle owner's expense, in addition to administrative citation fines.

D. Citations shall be processed under the city's administrative citation procedures in chapter 1.27 of this code.

(Ord. No. 1243, § 1, 4-2-25)