ARTICLE IV. Off-Street Public Parking Regulations.

The county executive or his designee is hereby authorized, by executive order in the form of traffic orders, to regulate parking of vehicles on county property by the erection of official signs conforming to the regulations regarding signs posted on public streets and highways, and conforming in design, color, size and placement to the standards established in the most recent edition of the "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways."

All parking signs erected on any privately owned parking lot within the county shall conform to the regulations regarding signs posted on public streets, highways or other areas in the county, and conform in design, color, size and placement to the standards established in the most recent edition of the "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways." The county executive or his designee may provide, by executive order in the form of traffic orders, for the erection of official signs regulating parking on any privately owned parking facility within the county, which parking facility is open to and used by members of the general public for parking in connection with retail commercial establishments, or other businesses to which the parking facility is appurtenant. Any traffic order issued under this section may require that the owner, tenant or employees of retail or commercial establishments furnish evidence necessary for the enforcement of such order.

Spaces for parking of motor vehicles shall be marked off along public parking facilities as provided in this chapter by means of painted lines on the parking surface, by raised curbs or by other suitable means so as to clearly delineate said space as a designated and authorized parking space for one vehicle. Directional arrows, stop signs or stop bars and other traffic-control devices shall be provided to assist and direct circulation within public parking facilities.

Areas of public parking facilities not otherwise designated by painted lines or otherwise as parking spaces, shall be considered official no parking zones when indicated by posted signs or yellow paint applied to top and face of curb or by yellow painted lines on the parking surface unless otherwise posted.

Every person parking a vehicle in any public parking facility shall park wholly within the area of one (1) individual parking space as marked out by painted lines, curbs or otherwise.

No person shall park a vehicle in a designated parking space by backing said vehicle into the parking space when said space is within an area posted by front in only signs.

It shall be the duty of all persons to observe the sign markings and other traffic and parking control devices and regulations when using a public parking facility.

in violation of an official sign;

in a no-parking zone when posted by sign or indicated by yellow painted curb or yellow painted lines on the parking surface, except for a motorcycle where motorcycle parking is permitted by an official sign;

in any place that is not designated as a parking space by painted lines, except for a motorcycle where motorcycle parking is permitted by an official sign;

in or on any driving aisle, driveway, sidewalk, landscaped area, island, or device for channeling traffic;

in an area where parking is temporarily prohibited when marked off by temporary signs or barricades or when an official cover or hood is placed over a parking meter;

in a way that prevents another vehicle already stopped or otherwise legally parked in a designated parking space from moving away;

for longer than 14 consecutive days in surface parking lots or garages, except when otherwise authorized by Executive order;

when the vehicle is unregistered or inoperative or otherwise not capable of being operated legally or safely on County or state highways, roads or streets;

by backing the vehicle into a parking space when posted by front-in only signs;

in a way that causes the vehicle to straddle the painted lines marking a parking space or otherwise to be parked not wholly in one designated parking space;

by leaving the vehicle unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the key and effectively setting the brake; or

in a way that impedes or obstructs the free flow of traffic or causes a hazard to public safety.

Application and interpretation of this section. This section applies to all parking facilities that are open for use by members of the general public. The requirements in this section are in addition to, not instead of, any other federal, State, or local law regarding parking spaces reserved for handicapped individuals.

How to tell when a parking space is reserved for handicapped individuals. A parking space is reserved for handicapped individuals if it is designated by an official sign.

When a person may park a vehicle in a space that is reserved for handicapped individuals. An individual must not park a vehicle in a space reserved for handicapped individuals unless:

Obstructing a space reserved for handicapped individuals. A person who is responsible under Section 49-24A(a) for removing snow and ice from a parking area must not at any time obstruct, or allow another person to obstruct, any space in the parking area that is reserved for handicapped individuals. This subsection applies to any type of obstruction, other than a legally parked vehicle, such as plowed snow or ice, construction materials, or an illegally parked vehicle owned or controlled by the person. A natural accumulation of snow or ice in a parking area reserved for handicapped individuals is not an "obstruction" under this subsection, but must be removed when and as required by Section 49A-24A.

In this Section, a plug-in vehicle means a vehicle that:

Plug-in vehicle includes a qualifying vehicle that has been modified from the original manufacturer's specifications.

A person may not stop, stand, or park a vehicle that is not a plug-in vehicle in a space that:

Any trailer or towed vehicle.

Any truck having a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity greater than (1) ton.

Any vehicle with a gross weight greater than eight thousand (8,000) pounds.

Any vehicle having an overall length more than twenty (20) feet including any load thereon.

Any vehicle wider than eight (8) feet.

Any bus.

Engage in any conduct, sport or activity which may jeopardize the safety or welfare of persons or property, including but not limited to riding any coasting device, bicycle or unregistered self-propelled vehicle, playing in or tampering with elevators, climbing, skating or skateboard riding, ball playing, throwing, slinging or otherwise projecting objects within or from public parking facility and sledding.

Tamper with, deface or otherwise cause injury to fire equipment, parking equipment or other county property contained therein or to any automobile parked therein.

Discard waste material or otherwise deposit litter on the premises.

Fail to pay the prescribed parking fee to the attendant/cashier upon removing a vehicle from said facility when such facility is operated by an attendant/cashier employed by the county.

Except when authorized by written permission of the county, no person, association, business or corporation, shall cause or otherwise be responsible for a county-owned or -leased and operated public parking facility to be used for any of the following purposes:

Notwithstanding subsection (a), the County Executive must establish, by regulation adopted under method (3), procedures to issue written permits for the use of County owned or leased and operated parking facilities for storage and off-street parking purposes under the following conditions:

The county executive is hereby authorized from time to time to designate, by executive order, important public parking facilities of the county, or areas thereof, as snow emergency lots which shall be marked by snow emergency lot signs.

Upon the proper declaration of snow emergency as provided by law, no person shall park or cause a vehicle to remain parked on any public off-street parking facility between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. where such signs are posted. Imposition of such emergency regulations are intended for public safety reasons and to facilitate the removal of snow and ice from parking surfaces and driving aisles.

No vehicle shall be parked in violation of this section.

Any vehicle parked and left unattended on a snow emergency lot in violation of this section may be impounded and removed by the county or its agent, and all costs of towing, storage or impounding shall be charged to the owner of the vehicle. All such charges including the fines and penalties provided by this chapter shall be paid to the county or its duly authorized agent before the owner may reclaim the vehicle.

Any vehicle parked in violation of this article or otherwise parked so as to constitute a definite hazard to public safety or is so parked, stopped or standing so as to impede or obstruct the normal movement of traffic or pedestrians, may be impounded by members of the department of police or other authorized persons designated by the county executive.

In any case involving the impoundment of a vehicle under this Section, an administrative cost set by Council resolution adopted under Section 2-57A must be charged to the owner of the vehicle, in addition to all outstanding fines and penalties assessed for violations of this Article and any towing or storage charges incurred.

All such fines, penalties, costs and charges must be paid to the County before the owner may reclaim or secure the release of the vehicle.