‘Tis the season: all you need to know about winter overnight parking restrictions in Logan
Although there is currently no snow on the ground, parking on city streets overnight will still result in a fine.
“The whole reason for that is the snowplows are trying to get the snow off the road as fast as they can,” said Logan City Police Lt. Jeff Simmons, who oversees the department’s administrative division, which includes parking.
If cars are in the way, city snowplows cannot fully plow the road. The city does not allow cars parked next to sidewalks between midnight and 6 a.m., from Nov. 15 to March 15.
Overnight parking restrictions begin 11-15-17 to 3-15-18. Restrictions in place midnight to 6:00 AM. Parking Permits may be purchased at City Hall. Cost $75.00. Police will be enforcing restrictions. Questions contact Russ Holley (435)716-9023 russ.holley@loganutah.org.
— City of Logan (@cityoflogan) November 15, 2017
Parking officials have been giving cars in violation of the ordinance “Warning notices” since Nov. 15, but will now be ticketing until the middle of March.
Simmons empathized with off-campus students whose landlords do not provide adequate parking.
Oftentimes landlords do not provide enough parking for residents, Simmons added.
“You’re just leaving these poor students out on the road and then we’re having to take action because we have to clear the roads,” he said.
Although many landlords provide residential parking permits, these do not exempt residents from the parking rules.
Those who violate this parking ordinance will receive a $25 ticket, which will increase if unpaid within 15 days. A violator has the option to appeal their ticket to a board made up of city residents. If the person receives six unpaid tickets, the city can either tow their car or file a claim in municipal small claims court.
The appeals board has the option to reduce, dismiss or leave a citation the way it is, Simmons said.
Although the city collects revenue from parking tickets it isn’t a main revenue generator.
“It’s barely a drop in the bucket compared to the city budget,” Simmons said.
The current city budget is about $149 million, according to the Logan city’s website.
“The point is just to get [vehicles] off the road so we can clear it for everybody,” Simmons said.
The city has also used its social media to promote the timely ordinance, and has included information in its utility billing flyer.
“There’s a lot of people who either don’t know or just don’t want to comply,” Simmons said.
Although the city has given about 150 warnings thus far, Simmons said he expects citation numbers to drop throughout the season.
“Once we do these citations, numbers fade,” he said. “They start to learn, they find other ways.”
Although city ordinances mandate landlords in the campus residential zone provide a parking space for every resident, not all comply.
“Sometimes the parking is not thought of primarily when they’re renting, and it leaves some of these students without parking,” Simmons said.
Students with questions or concerns about parking rules may contact the Logan City Police Department at 435-716-9300.