Frequently Asked Questions about Parking

What is Pay-by-plate?

• Pay-by-plate is another way to pay to park at a pay station. Customers purchase parking time at a pay station using their license plate number. There is no paper receipt to lose or misplace. Purchase time is tied to your license plate. An electronic receipt can be sent via text message to your cellular phone.

How do I enter my plate?

• Enter license plate number from left to right without spaces, including stacked letters/numbers. No special characters.  Make sure your entire rear license plate is visible and the license plate frame does not cover any portion of a letter or number.

What if I have a trip permit?

• Enter your trip permit as it reads, including any letters and state the trip permit has been issued from, if prompted. Do not use a vehicle description or the dealer plate.

What do I do if I entered my license plate incorrectly?

• A parking session cannot be adjusted once started. You will need to immediately start a new session with the correct license plate. If Parking enforcement officers are not able to match the license plate on your vehicle with the transaction data, you can receive a citation.

How do I prove I paid with the pay by plate system since I didn’t get a receipt?

• The pay station will give you the option to either print a receipt or have one sent to your cellular phone. We encourage users to use one of these available options.

Can I use coins at the pay station?

• Currently, many of our pay stations accept coins. Our pay stations that are touch screen do not accept coin.

What do I do if the pay station is not working?

• You can pay using the Parking Kitty app or at the nearest working pay station.

Can I move to a different street when I have an active session?

• Yes, currently you can move to another street if you session is still active.

Are there any other options to pay to park?

• You can download the Parking Kitty app on your mobile device and start a parking session. Please visit https://www.cityofvancouver.us/economic-prosperity-and-housing/parking/parking-kitty-app/

How does parking enforcement know that I paid?

• Parking enforcement officers will enter the license plate adhered to the rear of the vehicle into their handheld device to check for active sessions. Be sure to enter your license plate number correctly including the issuing state.

What is the Parking Kitty zone and how do I find it?

• The Parking Kitty zone number can be located on signage on the block or decals on the pay station and is required to start a session.

Why don’t pay by plate pay stations automatically print a receipt?

• At pay-by-plate pay stations, Parking Enforcement no longer needs the printed receipt to verify payment. This reduces paper waste and maintenance costs by eliminating paper and printer service issues. Payments can now be verified electronically by Parking Enforcement devices.

Why are pay stations being converted to pay-by-plate?

• Vancouver has historically used a pay and display system with printed receipts to prove parking payment. Converting to a pay-by-plate system lowers maintenance costs, reduces possible failure points in machines, reduces paper waste and increases convenience as users no longer need to return to their vehicles to display a receipt.

Examples below show how to read a plate number:

Enter Plate as AAA8103

Enter plate as 892SGM.

Enter plate as CWUSMPLE.

Enter as P000000.

Enter as CA00000.

Visitors/Patrons typically park at the short term (3 hour or less) meter/pay stations located primarily in the business district. There are some short terms meters dispersed all over downtown,

As an employee, an on-street permit is typically the best value ($85 per month) and allows for parking long term in designated permit areas. We now have an employee permit and zone for employees who make $20 an hour or less at a cost of $20 per month.

If you carpool, we have a $15 per month permit good at designated carpool spaces.

Maps and information can be found on the Parking Services website.

If you are parking hourly, the coin operated meters are the cheapest.

You can park as long as the posted time limits allow (look for the signs). The City has a 24-hour maximum for continuous parking on the street, which very few citizens are aware of.

As of this June 2018, only the Vancouver Center parking garage requires payment 7 days a week. All other public owned locations are free on weekends.

It should always be assumed that the garage is enforced.

Know the rules. Being unaware of the law is not an excuse for violating it.

Know what time your meter expires and plan to be back to your vehicle before then. Setting an alarm on your phone can be a helpful tool. Taking a photo of your receipt to pull up in case you forget the time is also a good idea.

Directions are on the back of the citation. Per State law, you have 30 days to appeal. The back of the citation must be filled out along with an appeal form that can be obtained via the Parking Services website or at the Customer Service Desk at City Hall.

Common citations are:

• No Receipt Displayed – When you do not have a receipt displayed.
• Improper Display – When your receipt is displayed somewhere other than the dash (or otherwise displayed improperly).
• Overtime – When you have gone beyond the signed time limits (even if you have money in the meter).
• Expired Tabs – License plate tabs are expired.

• If a pay station is not working you can use the nearest pay station instead. Another option is to use the Parking Kitty app.
• If a meter is not working, you should use another parking space. The Parking Kitty app can be utilized here as well.

It is also helpful if you can report the issue to Parking Services by calling the number on the machine.

The City uses both a number and a name for our public lots and garages. The main ones are:

• Lot 1: Smith Tower Lot
• Lot 2: Evergreen Lot
• Lot 11: Broadway lot
• Lot 18: Vancouver Center Garage

Historically, the City has incentivized new development by requiring only 1 space per unit.

Minimum requirements are intended to lessen the burden on the on-street supply.

Per VMC 20.945.070 developers are required to build according to the following:

• Residential – 1 space/dwelling unit
• Transient lodging – 1 space/living unit
• Congregate care facilities – 1 space/two (2) living units
• All other uses – 1 space/1,000 sq. ft. of floor area

Developments located within the Transit Overlay District may be subject to special parking standards contained in VMC 20.550.

There are many variables (geography, number of levels, structural system, above-ground, below-ground, etc.) when estimating the cost of a new parking garage. The average structural cost for a parking structure varies with geographic market and can range from $35 per square foot to as much as $65 per square foot. Below-ground parking is more expensive than above-ground (15%-45% higher cost at two levels) and gets more expensive the farther down it goes.

Bike parking is currently optional for developers to build. However, in 2018 the City will examine this policy and consider making it mandatory.

The officers do not and never have had quotas.