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Seattle is jacking up its fine for parking tickets in 2025 for the first time in 14 years.
Currently, most parking fines range from $29 to $53, depending on the type of violation, the city says. The new fines will range from $43 to $78.
The most common fines of $47 will soon cost you $69.
CHS reported here on City Hall’s latest adjustments to on-street parking rates across Capitol Hill where the most coveted nighttime spots have now reached $6.50 an hour.
On-street parking also continues to shrink across the city as new programs and protected parking zones have been created to better utilize the public space.
Seattle raises nearly $40 million a year from street parking plus more than $20 million annually from tickets and fines. In 2022, the city lost out on about $5 million when the Seattle Police Department screwed up the process on 200,000 tickets.
During the pandemic, the city suspended the issuance of parking infractions.
The Seattle City Council approved the 2025 boost in fines early this year to put the system “in alignment with current parking rates” and account for inflation.
The new fines go into effect January 1st.
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If you wanted to emphasize people not parking like assholes, try making the amount non-trivial. Honestly it should be like 250.
I have to say, getting a parking ticket never feels trivial to me. And people are not usually parking like assholes, as you say. Often they have paid the parking but have stayed over, which will now result in a pretty hefty fine. To many people who happen to be parking their cars, these fines will be painful, especially for those with moderate to low incomes. I see these new rates as perhaps necessary, but certainly nothing to celebrate.
If you’re not seeing people parking like assholes, you aren’t walking around Capitol Hill.
tow it…lol…I kid
Or make it income based
For rich people that’s just a small fee and they continue to block crosswalks and stuff with their Beemers but there’s no enforcement anwyay, barely at least.
Will this apply to meth/fentanyl campers or will they continue to get a free pass to destroy the city?
These should scale on how many you’ve gotten and if you have any outstanding. First one $69, second $99, third $199, fourth $499, fifth lose your license.
That’s a great idea. I think they do something similar if you have enough outstanding, they put a boot on your wheel. But it’s probably a way bigger number than 4 or 5, i’m not sure.
nice
NICE
Agree that escalated fines would be better though can be a little complicated to make a system like that. Judges toss or lower most protested citations and I think this defacto system may already exist.
The fines are still too low. If you can own, operate, and insure (ha?) a car, you can park it legally or face the consequences. And this should apply to all cars using public streets.