Fresno Municipal Code Art. 14 Parking Meters

(a) Zones. Council may adopt parking meter zone(s) by resolution. The limits of any parking meter zone(s) adopted by Council shall be shown on that certain map on file in the office of the City Traffic Engineer entitled "City of Fresno Parking Meter Zone Map," which is hereby referred to and incorporated herein as though set forth in full. Council may amend said map by resolution.

(b) Meter Installation. The City Traffic Engineer shall order the installation of parking meters at all locations on public streets within established parking meter zones where parking spaces are available and where any such available spaces are not otherwise designated for special parking purposes (such as loading, taxicab, postal zones, unmetered limited parking zones, etc.), and on city-owned or operated parking lots at all parking spaces except those which are included within the three-hour free parking program or other extended parking program approved by the Council, or which are designated for city or official vehicle use.

(c) Meter Removal. The City Traffic Engineer may cause meters to be removed for the repair and routine maintenance thereof, whenever the particular parking spaces are designated for some other purpose as above, or as part of an experimental program subject to the restrictions contained in Section 14-203(b).

(d) State Highways. Parking meters shall not be placed on state highways until an ordinance with respect thereto has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Department of Public Works of the State of California. Such ordinance shall cease to be operative with regard to parking meters on state highways within six months after receipt of written notice of the withdrawal of the approval from the State Department of Public Works. (Rep. and Added Ord. 6130, 1962, based on former Secs. 10-1901 and 10-1902; Am. Ord. 6511, 1964; Am. Ord. 67-39, 1967; Am. Ord. 76-126, § 1, eff. 1-23-77; Am. Ord. 83-149, § 1, eff. 12-2-83; Am. Ord. 86-71, § 1, eff. 6-13-86; Am. Ord. 2002-39, § 1, eff. 8-22-02).

(a) Rates. Parking meter fees charged for on-street and off-street parking shall be designated in the Master Fee Resolution.

(b) Meter Rate Variations. Meters need not accept coins in the exact amounts designated, but may accept any variation of coins so long as the applicable rates are maintained. (Rep. and Added Ord. 6130, 1962, based on former Sec. 10-1904; Am. Ord. 67-1967, based on former Sec. 10-1403; Am. Ord. 67-52, 1967; Am. Ord. 69-7, 1967; Am. Ord. 80-102, § 1, eff. 8-1-80; Am. Ord. 80-115, § 109, eff. 8-8-80).

No person shall park any vehicle in any parking meter space, except as otherwise permitted in this chapter, without immediately depositing in the parking meter adjacent to such space such lawful coin or coins of the United States as are required by such meter unless the parking meter indicates that at the time such vehicle is parked an unexpired portion remains of the period for which a coin or coins has been previously deposited.

Exceptions: The provisions of this section shall not apply to: holders of monthly parking permits issued by the Controller for use on parking lots pursuant to a resolution of the Council, to vehicles lawfully displaying a license plate issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles to Medal of Honor recipients, Legion of Valor recipients, Purple Heart recipients, Pearl Harbor Survivors, Former Prisoners of War, Gold Star Family members, and such other license plates issued by another State.

(Rep. and Added Ord. 6130, 1962; Am. Ord. 6435, 1964; Am. Ord. 67-39, 1967; Am. Ord. 95-60, § 1, eff. 9-15-95; Am. Ord. 96-27, § 1, eff. 5-10-96; Am. Ord. 96-75, § 1, eff. 1-17-97; Am. Ord. 2003-83, § 1, eff. 10-21-03; Am. Ord. 2004-116, § 1, 12-5-04; Am. Ord. 2008-65, § 3, eff. 12-15-08; Am. Ord. 2010-41, § 2, eff. 11-11-10).

Council shall adopt hours of operation for all parking meter zones by resolution. The hours of operation shall be posted either on the parking meters or on a sign visible from the street. The Chief of Police may, at his discretion, from time to time prohibit all parking in areas included in parking meter zones during times of emergency by causing appropriate "No Parking" signs to be installed.

(Rep. and Added Ord. 6130, 1962, based on former Sec. 10-1906; Am. Ord. 83-50, § 1, eff. 6-3-83; Am. Ord. 2002-39, § 2, eff. 8-22-02).

(a) No operator of any vehicle shall permit said vehicle to remain parked in any parking space during any time that the meter is showing a signal indicating that such space is illegally in use other than such time immediately after the original occupancy as is necessary to operate the meter to show legal parking.

(b) No person shall deposit or cause to be deposited in a parking meter a coin for the purpose of increasing or extending the parking time of any vehicle beyond the legal parking time which has been established for the parking space adjacent to which said parking meter is placed.

(Rep. and Added Ord. 6130, 1962, based on former Sec. 10-1905).

No person shall deposit or cause to be deposited in any parking meter any defaced or bent coin, or any slug, device, or metallic substitute for a coin of the United States, or deface, injure, tamper with, open or willfully break, destroy or impair the usefulness of any parking meter.

(Added Ord. 6130, 1962, based on former Sec. 10-1907).

No person, other than the owner or operator of a vehicle, shall deposit any coin in any parking meter without the knowledge or consent of said owner or operator of the vehicle using the parking space immediately adjacent to said meter.

(Added Ord. 6130, 1962).

No person shall attach anything to, or allow a bicycle, newsrack or any other article or thing to lean against a parking meter or a parking meter standard.

(Added Ord. 6130, 1962).

All moneys collected from parking meters installed under the provisions of this chapter shall be placed in a separate fund which shall be a special trust fund to be known as the "Parking Meter Fund," which fund is hereby created, and which trust fund shall be devoted exclusively to the following purposes:

(a) For the purchasing, leasing, installing, repairing, maintaining, operating, removing, regulating, and policing of parking meters and parking meter spaces; for the collection of the receipts therefrom and for the payment of any and all expenses relating or incidental thereto;

(b) For the installation and maintenance of official traffic signs, signals, and other official traffic control devices;

(c) For the painting and marking of streets and curbs required for the direction of traffic and the parking of motor vehicles;

(d) For the purchasing, leasing, acquiring, improving, operating, and maintaining of off-street or below-street parking facilities within the city. Consistent with the purpose of the regulation of traffic and the prevention of congestion of the city streets, it is the intention of this city that off-street or below-street parking facilities be acquired in close proximity to the business district in which the parking meter zones are established, and be paid for from the receipts of the parking meters installed in said business districts.

(Added Ord. 6130, 1962; based on former Sec. 10-1910).

No section of this article shall be construed as permitting any parking in violation of any other provision of this chapter.

(Added Ord. 6130, 1962).

The coins required to be deposited in parking meters, as provided herein, are hereby levied and assessed as fees to provide for the proper regulation and control of traffic upon the public streets and to cover the cost of supervision, inspection, installation, operation, maintenance, control, and use of the parking spaces and parking meters described herein, and also the cost of supervising and regulating the parking of vehicles in the parking meter zones created hereby.

(Added Ord. 6130, 1962; based on former Sec. 10-1908).

The Controller is hereby authorized, and it shall be his duty, to designate some person or persons to make regular collections of the money deposited in said parking meters. It shall be the duty of such person or persons so designated to collect and deliver to the Controller all money deposited in the parking meters. The Controller shall keep accurate account of all the parking meter money so delivered to him.

(Added Ord. 6130, 1962; based on former Sec. 10-1909).

The City Traffic Engineer shall install signs and painted lines and markings on city-owned or operated parking lots designating the method, location, and position in which vehicles shall be required to park. When signs and markings are in place giving notice thereof, no person shall park any vehicle across any such lines or markings, and shall park said vehicle in such position and in the manner prescribed by the instructions on such signs.

(Added Ord. 6130, 1962; based on former Sec. 10-1911; Am. Ord. 6435, 1964; Am. Ord. 6885, 1966).

(a) Wherever this article grants a power to or imposes a duty upon the Traffic Engineer in regard to a parking lot or other off-street parking, public or private, the power or duty shall also apply in regard to a parking structure or garage whether on, above, or under ground.

(b) The Traffic Engineer may prohibit or regulate traffic and parking on city owned or controlled parking lots and cause the placing of signs and markings giving reasonable notice of the prohibitions or regulations. When such signs or markings are in place giving notice thereof, no person shall disobey the prohibition or regulation prescribed by such signs or markings.

(Added Ord. 68-167, 1968).