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Parking Regulations

This page provides an overview of Washington State local governments’ statutory requirements and regulatory guidance for managing parking in public and private areas. The page also includes information about reducing overparking, implementing ADA parking requirements, and collecting parking revenues and fines.

Overview

State law uniformly prohibits parking that blocks the flow of pedestrians, vehicles, and first responders in public and private locations (RCW 46.61.570). The Secretary of Transportation can also issue parking orders that apply to cities and counties (RCW 46.61.570(2)).

In addition to these state-wide prohibitions, local governments can set additional parking regulations through city ordinances or county resolutions. Local jurisdictions have broad authority to regulate parking in their communities by establishing parking zones, setting parking time limits, installing parking meters, and posting signage.

Many local governments have adopted the Model Traffic Ordinance (MTO), which encourages uniform traffic laws by providing guidance that authorities can adopt completely or in part by reference (WAC 308-330). The MTO establishes parking regulations, locations where it is prohibited, and guidance on roadway parking and meters.

In turn, local entities may also penalize parking violations by issuing tickets and using the revenue accrued and impounding unauthorized vehicles.

Parking Management

An excess number of parking spaces means land is being unnecessarily consumed by parking. Too few spaces indicates local governments should charge (or charge more) for public parking and invest in transportation options. Parking management strategies can help maximize use of existing supply and reduce parking demand.

For more information on parking management, see The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald C. Shoup on the author's website.

The “Right” Number of Parking Spaces

Many communities are overparked, meaning they have more parking spaces than people. The more space devoted to parking, the harder it is to walk, bike, or take transit, which, in turns, leads to more vehicle miles and emissions. Parking areas also contribute to the heat island effect and increase stormwater runoff.

Economic development and housing affordability (both for owners and renters) are also impacted by overparking. Costs to build parking for residential development are usually passed along to tenants, thereby raising rents.

Conversely, too few spaces also lead to problems. In busy areas like downtowns, limited parking can lead to cars circling while looking for spaces, causing congestion and increasing emissions.

Cost-effective parking management approaches can reduce parking requirements for development compared to conventional standards, like high minimum parking requirements. Some effective strategies include:

  • Reducing or eliminating parking minimums as part of development projects;
  • Establishing parking maximums to establish upper limits on parking supply;
  • Including direct charges for using parking spaces (parking pricing); and
  • Developing shared parking and signage.

Washington State requires, allows reductions, or prohibits street parking in some instances, including:

  • Eliminating off-street parking requirements for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and co-living housing (defined as small apartments with shared kitchens) within one-quarter mile of major transit stops (RCW 36.70A.698 and RCW 36.70A.535);
  • Including parking reductions as part of affordable housing incentive programs (RCW 36.70A.540); 
  • Offering developers flexibility in meeting minimum parking requirements (RCW 36.70A.622);
  • Prohibiting cities from requiring off-street parking for mixed-use or residential development within designated transit station areas, except under certain circumstances (RCW 36.70A.842); 
  • Eliminating off-street parking requirements for affordable housing, passive housing, mass timber, or modular construction, unless a parking study demonstrates safety concerns or certain road conditions (RCW 36.70A.817); and/or 
  • Capping parking at no more than 0.5 stalls per multifamily unit and prohibiting requirements for affordable housing, senior housing, childcare centers, residences under 1,200 square feet, and commercial spaces under 3,000 square feet in cities and counties with populations of 30,000 or more (RCW 35.21.994 (cities), RCW 35A.21.445 (code cities), and RCW 36.01.397 (counties)

Examples of Parking Maximums and Reduced Minimums

Parking Pricing

While minimums and maximums generally pertain to future off-site parking areas, parking pricing refers to charges for using a parking space and can help better manage existing on- and off-street parking supply. Pricing can be used to reduce vehicle traffic and parking problems, recover parking facility costs, and/or generate revenue for other purposes.

Parking pricing also includes strategies like unbundling parking cash outs. Parking cash outs are commuter benefits where employers who provide free parking also offer equivalent cash payments, tax-free transit/vanpool benefits, or combination of these benefits. This strategy detaches parking payments from costs of renting or owning a home, allowing buyers to pay for parking only if they need it.

Examples of Parking Pricing

  • Everett Municipal Code Sec. 19.34.080 – Includes parking cash-out programs or unbundled parking/market-rate pricing as part of a menu of transportation demand strategies that can be included with TDM plans when required.
  • Seattle Performance-Based Parking Pricing Program – Performance-based parking pricing program that sets on-street parking rates and hours of operation based on data to achieve a goal of one to two spaces available per block.
  • Spokane Downtown Parking – The On-Street Parking Map shows the locations of the two-hour, four-hour, and all day on-street parking spaces that require payment within its Downtown Paid Parking Zone.

Shared or Joint Parking

Shared or joint parking means that two or more uses share a parking facility. For example, cities can encourage or require certain uses, like banks that are open during daytime hours to share space with a nearby nightclub or bar. Under the right circumstances, this type of flexibility eliminates the need for each use to have its own parking spaces.

Examples of Shared or Joint Parking

  • Burlington Municipal Code Sec. 17.85.070 – Shared parking is allowed between two or more uses to satisfy all or a portion of the minimum off-street parking requirements.
  • Lynnwood Municipal Code Sec. 21.18.900 – Cumulative parking requirements for mixed-use occupancies or shared facilities may be reduced when it can be shown that peak parking for the various uses occurs at different times of the day, week, or year.

American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Parking

Persons with disabilities and eligible organizations are granted access to accessible parking spaces under chapter 46.19 RCW. Individuals with these parking permits are given special license plates and parking placards that they must hang in their vehicles when they wish to park.

Parking spaces or stalls to be used by drivers with disabilities have specific size requirements (RCW 19.27.550) and must be indicated by blue-and-white signs with the International Symbol of Access graphic (RCW 70.92.120). Local governments or private individuals in control of the parking spaces are required to maintain these signs and ensure that these spaces do not become inaccessible (RCW 46.61.581).

Drivers with special permits typically do not have to observe parking time limits, even if they do not park in specific ADA-designated spaces. For instance, some municipalities have allowed these individuals to park in two-hour zones for as long as they wish (but not in zones where stopping, parking, or standing is prohibited) (RCW 46.19.050). RCW 46.61.582 also allows accessible parking for free in spaces regulated with parking meters.

Parking Violations and Penalties

Unauthorized Vehicles

RCW 46.55.010 defines an “unauthorized vehicle” as one that parks in areas where parking is not allowed or remains at a public or private facility for longer than permitted on posted signs. Depending on where the vehicle is parked and the length of time it has been there, it is subject to impoundment either immediately or within 24 hours.

Common parking violations include:

  • Parking in a disabled zone without the required placard or license plate;
  • Parking for more than two hours in a two-hour zone;
  • Parking a vehicle near a residential property into the public right-of-way;
  • Parking too close to a crosswalk;
  • Parking in a loading zone;
  • Parking in a spot blocked by a posted sign;
  • Parallel parking against the flow of traffic.

In order for certain violations (like time-limited parking) to be enforced, signs must be posted articulating parking regulations at public parking facilities and nonresidential private properties. If appropriate signage is not displayed, the unauthorized vehicle cannot be impounded or towed for at least 24 hours. Signs must be posted visibly near property entrances and must include when the vehicle may be impounded and contact information for the towing company (RCW 46.55.070). WAC 308-61-145 outlines similar requirements.

Examples of Restricted Parking Zones and Required Signage

Parking Fines and Revenue

Local governments may decide how they wish to use funds accrued from parking violations, though the optional Model Traffic Ordinance provides suggestions about how these funds could be effectively used (WAC 308-330-650). These suggestions include:

  • Funding highway parking regulations, parking meters, and their associated costs;
  • Regulating parking spaces and meter zones;
  • Developing off-street parking facilities and parking studies.

Further, second-class cities and towns can use parking fines as contributions to revenue bonds to fund public works projects like street and road improvements (RCW 35.23.454).

See the sections on Parking Meters and Traffic and Parking Fines in our Revenue Guide for Washington Cities and Towns publication. 

Examples of Parking Violations and Fines 

Towing and Impoundment

Cities and counties have authority to tow and impound vehicles that break regulations like parking too long in time-limited zones or impeding operations like street cleaning.

RCW 46.55.080 allows registered tow truck operators, regional transit authority representatives, law enforcement officers, public officials, or property owners (if the offending vehicle is on private property) to impound vehicles in violation of RCW 46.55.010 (see above). Impounded vehicles should be taken to the closest storage location on file within the jurisdiction (RCW 46.55.090).

If an owner does not claim a vehicle from the impound lot within 120 hours, it is deemed abandoned under RCW 46.55.010. For cities and counties that have adopted the Model Traffic Ordinance, traffic court clerks may also issues warrants of arrest to individuals who have not responded to traffic citations for “stopping, standing, or parking” within five days (WAC 308-330-730).

For examples of impound codes and suspended or revoked licenses codes, see MRSC’s page on Impoundment of Vehicles.

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Last Modified: December 30, 2025