Parking

The regulations for parking are laid out in Chapter 10.12 of the Ridgefield Municipal Code. The code lays out the rules for parking, standing and stopping of vehicles on public City streets, and establishes residential parking zones and other restrictions. A summary is provided here. Additional parking regulations may be found in the Washington Administrative Code (WAC 308-330) which is incorporated into the Ridgefield Municipal Code.

The City offers a variety of on-street parking options in neighborhoods and downtown Vancouver for visitors, customers, employees and residents. The City also maintains a park-and-ride lot at the Ridgefield Junction that has 90 parking spaces and is a regular bus stop that connects Ridgefield to the rest of Clark County as well as Vancouver.

Parking Restrictions

General Parking Restrictions

Cars must be parked a certain distance away from driveways, intersections, fire hydrants, crosswalks, stop signs, yield signs, signals, and railroad crossings. Cars must also not park on a sidewalk, crosswalk, within an intersection, on a bridge, on railroad tracks, or in roadway medians. For more detail on these restrictions, look at the Washington Administrative Code (WAC Chapter 308-330).

Downtown Parking

The code has specific parking provisions for the downtown area to address diverse needs of the City:

  • Downtown business and property owners have a strong interest in how parking is managed in the downtown area, but the general consensus is that there are few parking problems.
  • Several stores and businesses have a need for dependable access to short-term parking near the front door.
  • Some businesses have a need for long-term parking due to the nature of the business and customer needs, for employees, for residents, and/or to encourage a walking area among the businesses.
  • Derelict and abandoned vehicles and long-term parking can occasionally be a problem.
  • The City Manager has the authority to locate up to two 15 minute parking spaces/zones per block in the Pioneer Street and Main Avenue area.
  • There is a 24-hour parking limit along Pioneer St and Main Avenue to address long-term parking.

Appropriate signs or markings must be made to identify the 15-minute spaces and other time-restricted parking using curb markings, pavement markings, or signs that go along with the design of the downtown area.

Neighborhood Parking

Parking in residential neighborhoods is limited to one side of the street where street widths are less than 32-feet wide. Where streets that are less than 26-feet wide, parking on the street is prohibited. Parking is also prohibited on any cul-de-sac street.  In some neighborhoods no parking signs have not yet been posted. City staff will be posting no parking signs in these neighborhoods, and will notify residents via a door hanger prior to posting the signs. The Ridgefield No Parking Map (PDF) shows the areas planned to have signs posted.

No Parking Bus Zone

Simon Street, south side; from the immediate west side of the alley adjacent the skate-park, to a point 50 feet west thereof.

Time Restricted Parking Areas

  • 15 Minute Only Parking, Monday through Friday: Pioneer Street (SR 501), north side in front of City Hall
  • No Parking between Hours of 7:30 am to 3:30 pm: Pioneer Street (SR 501), north side, 5th Avenue to South 7th Avenue
  • Loading Zone, 15 Minute Parking, Monday through Friday 6 am to 5 pm:
    South Main Avenue, east side, from Pioneer Street (SR 501) to a point 115 feet south; (Commercial vehicles actively loading/unloading permitted unrestricted time to complete loading/unloading, other vehicles 15-minute parking limit)

Limitations on Prolonged Parking

No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle upon any street in the following area for more than 24 hours:

  • Pioneer Street (SR 501), 4th Avenue to Main Avenue
  • North Main Avenue, Pioneer Street (SR 501) to Mill Street
  • South Main Avenue, west side, designated diagonal spots

Enforcement

When parking is restricted/limited, there will be an appropriate sign, curb painting, or other markings to let the citizens know. No regulations shall be enforceable unless a sign or marker is present at the time of the offense. When checking for overtime parking, law enforcement are allowed to use chalk or other harmless tool to mark vehicles. Do not erase this mark or interfere with checking for overtime parking.

The City of Ridgefield is the only entity that has the authority to remove a car from a public street, and would only do so for a violation of a City ordinance. However, Homeowners Association (HOA) has the authority to enforce its own rules, which may include rules about parking. HOA enforcement is typically through monetary fines; an HOA does not have the authority to tow or remove a vehicle from a public street.

Violation

Any violation of the parking prohibitions laid out in the Ridgefield Municipal Code will be designated as a traffic infraction. Offenders will be punished under state law and/or local ordinance. The monetary amount is $95.

For more information on the subject, please take a look at the Ridgefield Municipal Code 10.12, or call City Hall at 360-887-3557.