What is a Preferential Parking District?

Steps for Establishing a Preferential Parking District

Additional
Coastal Zone Requirements

How to Obtain Permits

For More Information

Form letter
accompanying
this brochure

A Guide to Preferential Parking Districts
in the City of Long Beach

What is a Preferential Parking District?

The Long Beach Municipal Code Section 10:32 allows establishment of Preferential Parking Districts to alleviate certain parking problems in residential areas. These districts limit the length of time vehicles may be parked on-street, unless a valid residential permit is displayed.

Steps for Establishing a Preferential Parking District

If you are interested in establishing a Preferential Parking District in your neighborhood, you will need to follow the steps listed below.

1. Submit the following information in writing to:

City Traffic Engineer
333 West Ocean Boulevard, 10th Floor
Long Beach, California 90802

• The exact boundaries of the requested parking district
  (for example, the 1000 block of Taipai Street both sides from xxx Avenue to yyy Street)
• The requested time limit for legal parking without a permit
  (usually one or two hour parking)
• The requested effective days and hours
  (standard options are 9am-6pm, or 9am - 9pm, excluding Sundays and holidays. Other effective days and times must be reviewed individually for feasibility).

City staff will review your request and survey the affected streets. This survey must confirm that more than 75% of the available on-street parking is occupied, and that more than 50% of the parked vehicles are not registered in the area. We also assess other conditions to evaluate the feasibility and likely effectiveness of a district.

Conditions where a preferential parking district is not recommended include:

• The area is not self-contained. Preferential parking cannot be approved if it is likely to relocate a parking problem onto other residential streets.
• The area is too small. We are unable to recommend establishing a parking district that does not include entire blocks or less than ten properties. The costs to establish, administer and enforce small districts are prohibitive.
• The area contains apartments or condominium units, indicating that resident parking demand exceeds available on-street parking (such as 1 parking space available per 4 units).
• The area's zoning allows non-residential uses, indicating that preferential parking would negatively impact legitimate business uses.

If the request meets these general conditions, staff will prepare and send petition forms for you to circulate.

2. Once our office has sent you the required forms, circulate a petition among properties within the requested district.

You must obtain signatures verifying support for a preferential parking district from at least two-thirds of the residents of all units of occupancy within the proposed district.

3. Prepare a set of pre-addressed mailing labels including all properties (residents, property owners and commercial tenants) within 400 feet of the proposed district boundaries, and submit to our office along with the completed petitions.

The City Clerk will use the mailing labels to notify all affected properties of a public hearing for the City Council to consider establishing a district. Note that costs may be involved with preparing the mailing labels, if you require consultant assistance to identify property owners.

4. Be prepared to testify at a City Council meeting in support of establishing the district.

The City Council will consider any testimony for or against a preferential parking district presented at the noticed public hearing. If approved, an Ordinance will be adopted to establish the district. The Ordinance becomes effective approximately 45 days after the public hearing.

Additional Coastal Zone Requirements

If the proposed district falls within the Coastal Zone, an additional Coastal Development permit is required through the Planning and Building Department. The current application fee is $1,050, and may include additional fees for environmental clearance (ranging from $500 to $15,000). These fees are the responsibility of the requestor(s).

Recent attempts to establish preferential parking in the Coastal Zone have not been successful, denied by the Coastal Commission. For current information regarding this matter, please contact the Planning Department at (562) 570-6194.

How to Obtain Permits

Once a preferential parking district is established, residents must complete an application to request parking permits. Applications can be obtained at the Parking Citation counter at City Hall, Lobby Level, 333 West Ocean Boulevard, by mail request, or by calling (562) 570-6822 to have an application mailed to you.

• Residents will be asked to provide proof of current residency, such as a valid drivers license or utility bill, and a copy off current vehicle registration.
• The current fee for an annual permit is $15 for each vehicle, with a maximum of three permits per household.
• One guest permit may also be issued per household, for an additional $15.
• Temporary guest permits valid for up to seven consecutive days from issuance are available free of charge from the parking Citation counter at City Hall.

Permits must be renewed annually and may be renewed by mail.

For More Information

Preferential Parking District Program: Contact the Traffic and Transportation Bureau at (562) 570-6331.

Permits: Contact the Commercial Services Bureau at (562) 570-6822.

Parking Citations: Contact (562) 570-6822.

We sincerely hope you have found this fact sheet informative, and appreciate your interest in traffic and parking operations in our City.

Department of Public Works
Traffic & Transportation Bureau
333 W. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 570-6331, 570-7161 fax

This information is available in alternative formats. To make arrangements, please contact Public Works Administration at (562) 570-6643.

Traffic and Transportation Bureau
190-1 bro Revised 7/2/01

Long Beach, CA 908__

Subject: REQUEST FOR PREFERENTIAL PARKING

Dear _______________

Thank you for your request, regarding the subject above.

We have enclosed a brochure that explains the requirements and approval process for establishment of a preferential parking district. If you believe that the street or streets meet the program requirements and you are willing to fulfill the responsibilities outlined, please provide our office with the information as noted in step one of the brochure.

As a result of a recent legal challenge to the City of Los Angeles preferential parking program, the City of Long Beach has recently determined that an environmental review is now required for the establishment of new districts or modifications of existing districts. The extent of this new environmental review requirement and the associated applicant costs has yet to be determined.

If you are only interested in pursuing the establishment of a one-hour or two-hour parking restriction without residential preferential parking permits, there is a streamlined approval process available that only requires the circulation of a petition. The petition is used to confirm that abutting properties are aware of and support the proposal. With a substantial majority (67%) of the properties supporting the proposed parking restriction, the request can be forwarded to the City Council for consideration.

Should you have any questions about the preferential parking program, please feel free to contact Edwin Norris, Senior Transportation Engineer, at (562) 570-5209. Thank you for your interest in traffic and parking operations in our City.

Sincerely,

CITY TRAFFIC ENGINEER