National City Municipal Code Ch. 11.37 Permit Parking

A. The purpose of this chapter is to outline the process, authority and evaluation criteria for establishing permit parking zones along designated public streets or portions thereof within the city that will provide preferential parking privileges to permit holders and their guests.

B. CVC Section 22507 allows local authorities, by ordinance or resolution, to designate certain streets or portions thereof upon which preferential parking privileges are given to residents or employers adjacent to the designated streets for their use or the use of their guests / employees under which the residents or their guests / employees may be issued a permit that exempts them from specific parking restrictions or prohibitions as defined in the ordinance or resolution.

C. Preferential permit parking districts and zones support the following initiatives of the city council:

1. Increase parking utilization;

2. Support economic development while mitigating the impacts of spillover parking into surrounding residential neighborhoods;

3. Prohibit long-term parking by non-residents;

4. Provide opportunities for local residents to park near their homes;

5. Promote the safety, health and welfare of all the residents of the city by reducing unnecessary personal motor vehicle travel, noise and pollution, and by promoting improvements in air quality, the convenience and attractiveness of urban residential living, and the increased use of public mass transit facilities available now and in the future. The public welfare will also be served by ensuring a more stable and valuable property tax base in order to generate the revenues necessary to provide essential public services.

D. This chapter does not apply to resident-initiated requests for establishment of preferential permit parking districts, which is governed by City Council Policy 710, or any area located within the Coastal Zone as defined in Section 18.29.030 of the Code.

(Ord. No. 2023-2520, 4-18-2023)

The following permit parking districts are hereby designated for the purpose of establishing preferential parking privileges based on the findings and purpose established in Section 11.37.010:

1. Downtown Parking District.

a. Defined as all streets and portions of streets owned and maintained by the city of National City within the area bounded by Division Street to the north, 16th Street to the south, Highland Avenue to the east and Interstate 5 to the west.

b. Incorporates all streets and portions of streets owned and maintained by the city of National City within the Downtown Specific Area Plan boundary as adopted by city council and inclusive of any amendments thereto.

(Ord. No. 2023-2520, 4-18-2023)

A. The City Engineer, by ordinance or resolution of the city council, and pursuant to the provisions of CVC Section 22507, may establish preferential permit parking zones to aid in the regulation, control and inspection of the parking of vehicles, increase parking utilization, and/or mitigate the impacts of spillover parking from nearby developments or businesses. Zones shall be established within designated preferential permit parking districts based on parking surveys of streets or portions of streets that demonstrate a parking occupancy rate of eighty percent or greater during the time of survey.

B. The City Engineer shall rely on the data collected from the parking surveys and/or planning studies conducted in and around the proposed permit parking zone to recommend appropriate parking restrictions or prohibitions by time of day and day of week to the city council.

C. Upon authorization by the city council, the City Engineer or Director of Public Works shall cause appropriate signage to be displayed within permit parking zones. Modifications or elimination of permit parking zones shall be established by amendments to ordinance or resolution of the city council.

D. The regulation of permit parking zones shall become effective upon the installation of appropriate signage giving notice of parking restrictions or prohibitions, at which point only vehicles displaying a valid parking permit or those vehicles registered to permit holders displaying valid license plates shall be exempt from said parking restrictions or prohibitions.

E. The City Manager or designee has the authority to establish permit parking fees, which may differ between permit parking zones, based on the type and operations of surrounding land uses and/or market driven factors. Permit fees for each zone shall be established by ordinance or resolution of the city council and be included in the city's fee schedule. A copy of the fee schedule shall be filed in the rate book of fees on file in the Office of the City Clerk.

F. Applications for parking permits may be obtained through the office of the City Engineer. The number and type of permits issued to residents or employers and their guests/employees may differ between permit parking zones based on data collected from the parking surveys and other factors such as type and operations of surrounding land uses and/or the availability of off-street parking within the zone. Permit requirements for each permit parking zone shall be established by ordinance or resolution of the city council.

G. When temporary special parking or traffic conditions require different hours or days of parking restrictions, the City Engineer or Director of Public Works may vary the hours and days during which the restrictions in the permit parking zones shall be in effect; and, when authorized signs are in place giving notice thereof, no person shall stop, stand, or park any vehicle contrary to the direction or provisions of such signs.

(Ord. No. 2023-2520, 4-18-2023)

A. It shall be unlawful and a violation for any person to stand or park a motor vehicle for a period exceeding the posted time limitation or in violation of the parking prohibition established for a permit-parking zone pursuant to ordinance or resolution of the city council. Said violation shall be an infraction punishable in accordance with the provisions of this title.

B. It shall be unlawful and a violation for a person to falsely represent him/herself as eligible for a parking permit or to furnish false information in an application for a parking permit.

C. It shall be unlawful and a violation for a person holding a valid parking permit issued by the city to permit the use or display of such permit on a motor vehicle other than that for which the permit is issued. Such conduct shall constitute an unlawful act and violation both by the person holding the valid parking permit and by the person who uses or displays the permit on a motor vehicle other than that for which it is issued.

D. It shall be unlawful and a violation for a person to copy, produce, or otherwise bring into existence a facsimile or counterfeit parking permit or permits without written authorization from the City Engineer. It shall further be unlawful and a violation for a person to knowingly use or display a facsimile or counterfeit parking permit in order to evade the parking restrictions or prohibitions established for a permit-parking zone.

E. Any violation of Sections 11.37.040.B through 11.37.040.D shall be deemed a misdemeanor punishable in accordance with the provisions of this title.

(Ord. No. 2023-2520, 4-18-2023)

The City Engineer or designee is authorized to revoke the parking permit of any person found to be in violation of this chapter and, upon written notification thereof, the person shall surrender such permit to the City Engineer. Failure to surrender a parking permit when so requested shall constitute a violation of law.

(Ord. No. 2023-2520, 4-18-2023)