Burlington, like all major cities, regulates parking. Our streets serve many purposes. They offer access to adjacent properties. They provide connections to other sections of the city, region and state. Once we have completed our journey they also provide a place to store our vehicles. In the older parts of the city and in the commercial areas there may be insufficient space on the street to store all of the vehicles at a given time. To provide the optimum number of spaces where demand is greatest we manage our parking supply and offer transportation alternatives that reduce the demand for parking. Our goal is to provide access to our commercial areas and affordable alternatives for those who work there.

Fines & Towing

All violations within Burlington except expired meters are towable. The health and safety of citizens may be jeopardized by an illegally parked vehicle. An enforcement officer decides if this is the case and acts accordingly. A vehicle which has been towed can be charged $50.00 for the tow and $12.50 for storage for the first day and $15.00 per day after. Once a vehicle has been impounded it is held until ALL outstanding parking tickets have been paid.

A one-time $12.00 late fee is added to all unpaid tickets after 30 days.

Contesting Tickets

The owner or operator of a vehicle receiving a parking ticket is required to either pay the waiver fee or to formally contest the ticket WITHIN 30 DAYS of the offense.

Formal contest is initiated by submitting WRITTEN notice to the office of the City Attorney, Room 11, City Hall, Church Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401, stating the reasons for contesting the ticket. You must include the ticket and any towing receipts as well as any other supporting documents. You will receive a written response from the City Attorney's office.

If you are not satisfied with that response, the registered OWNER of the vehicle must arrange a court hearing on the alleged violation by contacting the Parking Enforcement Office immediately thereafter.

Scoff Violations

Any vehicle which has more than $49.00 outstanding in unpaid parking tickets can be removed from city property at any time and held until all outstanding fines are paid. The City of Burlington invoices vehicle owners for outstanding parking tickets 10 days prior to taking this action.

Payment can be made by cash to either the City of Burlington or the garage holding the vehicle. When using a credit card, payments must be made individually to the city and the garage. Checks are not accepted for payment. Payment must include both the outstanding ticket fees and towing charges.

SOME IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT PARKING IN BURLINGTON!

City Streets

The City of Burlington may close a street to parking by placing signs or parking meter hoods in conspicuous locations. Signs must be posed by 6:00 p.m. to be effective at 12:00 midnight.

No vehicle, regardless of its condition, can be left on a city street more than five days. Vehicles left more than five days are impounded.

Partially dismantled, non-operating, wrecked, junked, unregistered, or vehicles not displaying the correct stickers on their license plates, are removed immediately to the impound lot.

Metered Parking

Meter hours of operation are from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday.  A vehicle at a parking meter with no money in the meter is subject to ticketing every two hours. The vehicle parked at the meter at the completion of the maximum time allowed on the meter must be moved. Adding additional coins for more time, "meter feeding," is a violation.

Malfunctioning meters should be reported to the Public Works Department, (802) 863-4501. When a report is received the meter is tested. The results are usually available within ten days.  Meter rates for 2004 are as follows:

Resident Parking

Residents may petition to have their streets designated for resident parking only. Only residents and their guests will then be allowed to park on the street. Residents will be issued bumper stickers and guest passes for identification. Resident parking is enforced by issuing parking tickets.

To received a permit, the following documents must be provided:

Students

*Completed Current Lease

*Valid Driver's License

*Valid Registration

*Class Schedule

Renters

*Full-Time Burlington Residents

*Valid Driver's License Showing Street Name

*Valid Registration

Homeowners

*Tax Bill

*Valid Driver's License

*Valid Registration

We are unable to issue Residential Passes if these documents are not provided, are outdated, incorrect, or falsified in any way.

Driveways

Property owners may park in front of their own driveway. Vehicles parked in front of another person's driveway are ticketed and removed if requested.

On Private Property

Burlington City Ordinances prohibit parking on the property of another without permission. Enforcement is at the discretion of the property owner and can range from no enforcement to the removal of the vehicle. The posting of "No Parking" signs is not required under this ordinance.

Winter Parking

Burlington maintains a warning system of yellow lights mounted on utility poles throughout the city. These lights are activated when a snow parking ban is declared. When the lights are on, parking is prohibited on any street in the residential areas from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and in the downtown/Church Street Marketplace areas from 12:00 midnight to 6:00 a.m. This prohibition allows snow removal crews to effectively clear city streets of snow and restore them to operating efficiently. Vehicles found on the street will be towed to the nearest street the Public Works Department designates as a drop-off point. This would be a street that has been cleared of snow. Vehicles found with more than $49.00 in outstanding fines or previous winter tow tickets will be towed to a designated garage until payment is made.

Want to know about a parking ban via your e-mail?   Subscribe to the Burlington Parking Ban Notification List Server Powered by Yahoo Groups. 

Subscribe here: burlingtonparkingban-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

In Front Yards

City of Burlington Ordinances also prohibit parking vehicles in the front yard or lawn of residential buildings.

Read the Signs, be Considerate and Don't Park...

• On the sidewalk
• Closer than 10 feet to a railroad track
• In a fire lane
• In a loading zone
• At a Bus Stop
• Closer than 6 feet to a fire hydrant
• Blocking a driveway
• On the greenbelt (the area between the curb and the sidewalk)
• At a hooded meter
• In a handicapped space
• In a Truck Loading Zone
• In a property's front yard

Or Where a Sign Says...

• No Parking
• Residential Permit Parking
• Peddlers or Vendors only

These restrictions are determined by city ordinance and are enforced with a fine and/or possible removal of the vehicle.

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