Chico Municipal Code Ch. 10.25 Parking Meters

The provisions of this chapter shall govern the parking of vehicles on any portion of a public street or parking lot in the city designated as a metered zone. However, the provisions of this chapter shall not be construed to allow parking in a metered zone in violation of any other provision of this title.

(Ord. 2119; Ord. 2541 §1 (part))

Parking meter zones shall be established by ordinance of the city council upon such streets, portions of streets or in municipal parking lots within the city as the city council may deem necessary for traffic or parking control purposes. The director shall cause parking meters to be installed and maintained in such designated parking meter zones and the existence of a parking meter installed as hereinafter prescribed shall designate its location as a parking meter zone for the purposes of this chapter. Parking meter zones are hereby established and are described as follows:

Approved Parking Meter Zones:

(Ord. 2541 §1 (part); Ord. 2614 § 5)

Parking meters, when installed, shall be adjusted so that legal parking time is registered and accumulated on such meters in the units of time and monetary rates initially established by resolution of the city council and thereafter adjusted by the director or city council from time to time in accordance with this section. No parking meter shall be adjusted to register and accumulate any period of time in excess of the maximum parking time limit designated by appropriate signage in the area of the parking meter zone in which the meter is installed.

A. The city council hereby establishes a range of acceptable hourly paid parking rates for parking meter zones as no less than $0.00 and no more than $5.00 per hour, Monday through Saturday, nine o'clock (9:00) a.m. to nine o'clock (9:00) p.m., except for holidays. Parking rates shall become effective upon the programming of the parking meter for that rate. The current schedule of meter rates shall be available on the City's Fee Schedule.

B. The director is authorized to adjust hourly parking meter rates in increments of $0.25 at a time, and by a maximum of $0.50 total, per calendar year, within the established range of rates. The director is further authorized to adjust the hours of operation and parking time limits of a parking meter zone. All rate adjustments and adjustments to the hours of operation shall be determined by conducting an occupancy survey of the parking meter zone in accordance with section 10.25.015.C. All parking meter rates heretofore shall be and remain in effect, unless otherwise set or adjusted by the director or city council.

(Ord. 2119, Ord. 2450 §1; Ord. 2541 §1 (part))

During the hours specified for meter operation by action of the city council, no person shall park any vehicle in any parking space in a parking meter zone, except as otherwise permitted by this chapter, without immediately initiating a paid parking session by purchasing parking time using an approved method of payment at a parking meter.

(Ord. 2119, Ord. 2450 §2; Ord. 2541 §1 (part))

A. The city council may, in its discretion, grant vehicle parking permits to certain vehicle owners exempting such owners from the requirements of this chapter relative to depositing the amount required in parking meters while parking vehicles within either on-street or off-street parking meter zones upon the payment to the city, in advance, of a vehicle parking permit fee or fees. The city council shall adopt a schedule of such permit fees and establish such rules, regulations and restrictions as it determines necessary to implement administration of this section, including delegating to the city manager the authority to issue such permits and prescribe a form of insignia or emblem of exemption to be placed upon an exempted vehicle. Vehicles acquiring exemption pursuant to this section shall, however, be subject to all other provisions of this title.

B. Commercial vehicles shall be exempted from the preceding section while loading and unloading materials for a period not exceeding 20 minutes.

C. City-owned vehicles or equipment, when parked by a city officer or employee while engaged in the performance of their official duties, shall be exempt from the provisions of the preceding section. The city council may, in its discretion, when it deems public necessity and convenience so requires, exempt without charge federal, state and county-owned vehicles from the provisions of the preceding section.

D. The city council may, in its discretion, exempt certain other vehicles from the requirements of this title as to depositing the amount required in parking meters in off-street parking lots where such vehicles are operated by persons attending conventions or other special events within the city. Such vehicles and persons shall be subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the city manager and approved by the city council.

(Ord. 2119, Ord. 2450 §3)

The administrative services director or finance director shall collect, or cause to be collected, all funds deposited in parking meters at least once each week. An accurate record of all amounts so collected shall be maintained.

(Ord. 2119, Ord. 2439 §79, Ord. 2450 §4)

The specific amounts required to be deposited in parking meters, together with the permit fees specified, all as provided for in this chapter, is hereby levied and assessed to provide for the proper regulation and control of traffic upon the streets and within the parking facilities of the city; for the cost of supervision and regulation of parking meters within the parking meter zones hereby authorized; to cover the costs of purchasing, acquiring, installing, operating, regulating and controlling the parking meters herein described; to pay for the operations and maintenance of areas located between the parking space and customers’ point of destination which could include reconstruction, maintenance and cleaning of the streets, curbs and sidewalks; to pay and secure the payment of the principal and interest on bonds issued by the city pursuant to Chapter 3.6 and to operate and maintain the public off-street parking facilities provided by the city pursuant to such chapter. In addition, when authorized by the city council, such funds may also be used to support any alternative transportation programs funded by the city.

(Ord. 2119, Ord. 2450 §5)

The public works director shall be responsible for the installation, servicing, maintenance and repair of all parking meters.

(Ord. 2119, Ord. 2364 §118, Ord. 2439 §80, Ord. 2450 §6; Ord. 2541 §1 (part))

No person, except as otherwise provided in this title, shall permit any vehicle to remain parked in any parking meter space during any time when the parking meter regulating the space indicates that no portion remains of the period for which the last amounts had been deposited, or beyond the time limit for parking in such space as otherwise provided in this title.

(Ord. 2119, Ord. 2450 §7; Ord. 2541 §1 (part))

No person shall deposit or attempt to deposit in any parking meter any slugs or other counterfeit payment in place of the amounts required to operate the parking meter.

(Ord. 2119, Ord. 2450 §8; Ord. 2541 §1 (part))

No person shall deface, injure, tamper with, open or willfully break, destroy or impair the usefulness of any parking meter, other than an officer or employee of the city acting within the scope and course of their employment for a lawful and legitimate purpose in the interests of the city.

(Ord. 2119)