Philadelphia’s Unwritten Parking Rules

I’m sure many of you remember the groundbreaking A&E series, Parking Wars.

The series, which eventually expanded to other cities, began by chronicling the workings of the Philadelphia Parking Authority — and the frustrations of those caught in the crosshairs of parking enforcement officers.

The PPA was established in 1950 to manage the city’s parking lots and garages. In 1983, it took over enforcement of on-street parking regulations.

That’s made the independent agency one of the city’s least-liked bureaucracies (though its current executive director is working to change that). And we understand why: Nobody likes getting a parking ticket. But the rules are there for a reason, or rather, several:

• To ensure that people do not occupy parking spaces without a valid reason (and permission);
• To ensure there is enough space on the city’s narrow streets to cope with peak hour traffic;
• And also so that people can find a parking space in business districts if and when they arrive by car.

But one of the most popular sports in the city is getting away with breaking the rules when you can. And in some parts of the city, the PPA allows you to do just that. This article explains the rules, where you can ignore them with impunity, and how to bend them in some cases.

Prohibitions

There are places in the city where you are You are not allowed to park at all. These include:

• Before driveways — even your own.
• Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
• Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection. (PPA is apparently ambiguous in enforcing this rule in residential areas.)
• Within 30 feet of a stop sign, traffic light, or yield sign. (Same here.)
• In a marked bus zone or at a bus stop.
• On buses, turn in zones marked with signs.
• On the strip dividing the street, one a notable exception. More on the exception below.
• On the sidewalk. Yes, that includes the sidewalks on those narrow streets, barely wide enough for one car.
• Wherever signs prohibit parking or stopping.
• In a space reserved for vehicles with disabled license plates or signs, if you do not have them.

Additionally, to keep traffic flowing during rush hour, certain streets, primarily in Center City and West Philadelphia, prohibit parking during peak hours (generally from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays).

Restrictions and deadlines

Many city streets, especially in Center City and commercial districts, limit the amount of time a car can spend in a parking lot during certain hours of the day. The limits and the times they are enforced are posted on green signs along the parking spaces where they apply.

Generally, the Philadelphia Parking Authority charges a fee to use these spaces. In the past, these spaces had parking meters, and you put coins into the meter for the desired time, up to a limit posted on a sign. This led to the practice of parkers running to their cars when the time was up to feed the meter.

About 15 years ago, parking meters gave way to kiosks in most metered parking zones. Instead of inserting coins into a meter, drivers would go to a nearby kiosk, insert notes, coins or cards, and get a slip of paper that they would place on their dashboard.

Since 2019, drivers don’t even have to show a receipt, as they instead enter their license plate numbers at solar-powered kiosks. What’s more, running back to top up the meter has died out as mobile apps like PPA’s own meterUP and ParkMobile, which operates in cities across the region and the country, put the meter in your pocket.

Some parking spaces in commercial areas are designated as “loading zones.” They are designated for picking up and dropping off people or goods and are marked with red signs. They are free to use, but you must vacate the space within 30 minutes or sometimes less.

Some residential areas also have time-limited parking spaces for people without parking permits. When Mayor Richardson Dilworth first proposed these permit zones in South Philadelphia in 1961, angry residents confronted him, and some pelted him with rocks.

At the time, he proposed charging $40 a year for a residence permit. The cost of a permit has actually dropped since then: that would be the equivalent of $420 today. Instead, they cost just $35 a year per vehicle, rising to $75 a year per vehicle (maximum three per household) on Sept. 1. (For a motorcycle or scooter, the new cost is $50 a year per vehicle.) Short-term permits are also available for periods of one to 60 days.

This PPA blog post explains the changes to the permit program that went into effect this summer. You can purchase permits on the PPA website or in person at the PPA office at 35 North 8th Street.

Exceptions

Now for the exceptions to these rules. Two of these exceptions break the law, while the others do not.

The one you see breaking the law all year round is the one I mentioned above. Parking in the Broad Street median south of Washington Avenue is also illegal, but it’s a century-old custom similar to the 549-foot skyscraper height limit that Liberty Place broke in 1987.

Attempts to end the custom have foundered on the rocks of neighborhood opposition, however. The latest attempt, launched by the urban planners’ 5th Square Political Action Committee in 2016, also crashed and burned in court. Because a judge dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, the group can’t sue again to force enforcement, and no one else likely will.

The second law-breaking exception occurs every winter when it snows: residents clear snow from parking spaces in front of their homes and then place chairs, traffic cones, or other objects in the spaces to prevent others from parking. On some city streets where parking is scarce, people do this even when the streets are bone dry.

The practice, known as “saves,” has a history almost as old as parking in the Broad Street median. Even this publication contributed to the practice by classifying parking spaces in 2016. But as we noted at the time, the practice is illegal, and the Philadelphia Police Department has cracked down on it on several fronts, from posting videos to removing traffic cones.

Not everyone is on the warpath against first responders: Mayor Cherelle Parker, for example, came out as a fan during the 2023 mayoral primary. But the practice remains illegal, and even the mayor isn’t proposing to change that. So be careful when you put a chair or traffic cone out in the street. Perhaps the best way to defend your cleared space is to watch it from behind closed curtains, as we recommended in 2016 .

(Some people have access to one legal parking space. If you are disabled, you can reserve a parking space in front of your home using signs. This PPA website has a link to the application form.)

Two others are legal and related, and only come into effect at certain times. Where parking regulations are in place on Sundays, authorities are lenient on churchgoers; parking regulations are generally not enforced during service hours on streets surrounding churches. Some churches even obtain permits that allow worshippers to park in bike lanes, which angers cyclist safety advocates; their opposition has prompted some churches to drop the regulations.

The second is a funeral, where mourners are also not harassed by the PPA as long as they have a funeral tag on their car. Some even attribute the tradition of parking in the middle of South Broad Street to the high concentration of funeral homes on that stretch of road.

Finally, while the PPA continues to enforce traffic safety and flow regulations on these days, the timers and time restrictions do not apply on the following nine holidays:

• New Year (January 1)
• Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January)
• Easter Sunday
• Remembrance Day (last Monday in May)
• Juneteenth (June 19)
• Independence Day (July 4)
• Labor Day (first Monday in September)
• Thanksgiving (Fourth Thursday in November)
• Christmas (December 25)

Penalties

Of course, to enforce the rules, you have to punish those who break them. In the world of parking, that means fines.

Fines range from a $26 fine for parking past the posted limit in metered spaces outside Center City and University City to a $500 fine for parking your 18-wheeler or trailer on the street or leaving your boat, camper, trailer or food truck parked on the street for more than 15 days. For the rest of us who don’t have them, the most you’re likely to pay is $301 for parking in a handicapped spot without a permit.

Some fines are higher in Center City and University City. For example, expired parking tickets cost $10 more, and parking in a bus zone will cost $76 instead of $51. You can find a full list of violations and fines here.

You should make every effort to pay any fines promptly if you receive a ticket, or to file a complaint if you believe you have been issued a ticket in error. If you accumulate enough unpaid fines, your car may be impounded. And if you park in a space marked “Towing Zone,” if your car is still in that space when the restrictions go into effect, it will be towed. You will have to jump over several hoops to remove the hoop or to free your car from one of the city’s police parking lots; while watching people jump over these hoops can be fun on Parking WarsIt’s far from fun when you’re the one jumping.

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