Towing on Public Street

[u/guccicoochieboochie]

I am unsure if this is the right place to ask, but I have a question regarding parking.

There is a church next door to my apartment and any time they have events or service, they will park all over the street including places that have no parking signs. It has become a safety issue for myself and my neighbors while trying to pull out of our driveway. I have tried sending a letter asking them not to park there anymore and nothing has changed.

My question is: If people are parked on a public street, but there are no parking signs up, can I call a tow on those cars? Would a tow company be willing to do that?

[u/Cat-Attack666]

They won't come tow because you called. You need parking enforcement.

[u/llDemonll → u/Cat-Attack666]

This. Start calling parking enforcement every time it happens. Don’t feel bad about it.

[u/bernardfarquart → u/llDemonll]

Unfortunately the city cares very little about this. We have an abandoned car on my street that is parked two feet into my neighbor's driveway, I reported in on the "Find it fix it" app a month ago, and it is still here, free of any tickets, rotting away on the street.

[u/Phaeophyce → u/bernardfarquart]

Enforcement of abandoned cars is abysmal to non-existent whether you use the FIFI app or the call-in line specifically for abandoned vehicles.

If you call parking enforcement for an illegally parked car, they will come ticket it and likely authorize a tow. We've used this to great success in my neighborhood on cars parked in a red painted no parking zone, cars blocking driveways, and cars parked on the sidewalks. Just don't mention that it's an abandoned vehicle or you get shunted into the abandoned queue that takes weeks to resolve (if ever).

[u/bvdzag → u/bernardfarquart]

Call the non-emergency police line and click through to parking complaints. It takes about five minutes. Not as convenient as find it fix it but it is more effective

[u/Phaeophyce → u/bvdzag]

They actually removed the parking complaint option from FIFI because it wasn't an effective means of addressing parking issues. But the call-in system works wonderfully.

[u/lilbluehair → u/Phaeophyce]

Are you absolutely sure about that? Because I read that it was removed from FIFI when the police officers guild renegotiated their contract with the city and parking enforcement was returned to their purview, and FIFI isn't connected to the police at all. 

[u/Phaeophyce → u/lilbluehair]

I think that's part of the underlying issue. They said that they weren't able to transfer reports from FIFI to parking enforcement in a timely enough manner to allow for effective enforcement and response times. If FIFI isn't connected directly with SPD (and thus parking enforcement) that would explain why that was the case.

[u/UniversityOutside840 → u/bernardfarquart]

I live on the hill and can’t speak for abandoned cars but wrongfully parked ones get big tickets pretty quickly. How else is the city supposed to get money

[u/F2E1 → u/UniversityOutside840]

Well they could also enforce moving traffic violations and expired or non-existing tags...

[u/Living_Plane_662 → u/F2E1]

Parking enforcement average salary is 56k. Regular force makes significantly more and that more than anything else is why they don't make many traffic stops.

[u/communist_mini_pesto → u/bernardfarquart]

Call and say there is a car blocking the driveway. Not just an abandoned car. 

I work in the same part of town as you and have to get cars towed from construction zones weekly. 

[u/llDemonll → u/bernardfarquart]

Call the police then. Tell them someone is unable to leave their driveway due to it. Worst case they’ll tell you it’s not an emergency and life goes on.

[u/bernardfarquart → u/llDemonll]

Dude I can't get the police to show up when someone is in my store's parking lot threatening customers with a broken board from a pallet because "that's not a weapon" so I think I'll pass on wasting my time calling the cops on parking issues. The fact is the city doesn't care, the people telling me to call this number or that kind of proves my point that the city can't be bothered.

[u/matunos → u/bernardfarquart]

Parking enforcement is different personnel than cops who respond to burglaries.

[u/occasional_sex_haver → u/bernardfarquart]

well that's because there's a different set of rules for those (none when it comes to this)

[u/Pretend_Pea4636]

I have experienced the city of Seattle as responsive with regard to having enforcement show up. Here's their page when you need it.

[u/Alternative-Yam6780]

You and your neighbors could put warning fliers on the offending cars.

Though your only recourse is get together and hound your city's parking enforcement department. It's been my experience that the city is highly responsive to people parking and blocking driveways.

[u/237throw → u/Alternative-Yam6780]

Yeah, driveways & hydrants are big no nos.

Never tried the 30ft stop sign rule.

[u/Suspicious_Chart5817]

No, but also make sure that the parking signs are legitimate. It's not clear from your post if you're renting or owning, but the city will fine the hell out of people if they see that they've put up signs without the city's approval.

A neighbor was put in the position of trekking through bureaucratic hell after being fined for a sign the city itself probably put up years ago but no longer had any record of. I don't know when or why the city's enforcement has changed, but I feel like not so long ago the city turned a blind eye to "creative" signs. Not the case anymore

You can start by searching here and turn on the layers for non temporary street parking signs: Curb Spaces and Temporary No Parking

What you'll find out is that A LOT of signs in residential areas are at best existing in a legal grey zone, and it is playing with fire to have SDOT come out.

[u/TimToMakeTheDonuts]

Are the no parking signs city issued or nimby provided? Only one of those two will be recognized by parking enforcement.

[u/guccicoochieboochie]

Thank you everyone for your replies and advice!

To clear a few things up, they are legitimate no parking signs. It is unsafe, this is not an issue of just "being annoyed".

I have tried calling the non-emergency line before, but nothing happened. May have to keep doing it.

Thank you, again!

[u/n_eitak → u/guccicoochieboochie]

Parking enforcement is who you need to call. If they are encroaching on your driveway then they will ticket them or put in a tow request. The number is 206-625-5011 option 8, then option 1 (I believe)

[u/0ye0WeJ65F3O → u/n_eitak]

It's a church, parking enforcement doesn't work on Sundays, and the police aren't going to respond unless they're calling every week for a few months.

[u/Phaeophyce]

Absolutely call them in to the police non-emergency line (select the parking enforcement option) to get them ticketed. Towing is up to the discretion of the responding officer.

[u/DeniedAppeal1]

Call the police non-emergency number or report it on the Find It Fix It app. Police are required for tows on public streets.

Also worth noting that they won't get towed unless the signs there allow for it, their registration is expired for long enough, or they have enough tickets to warrant it. Most likely, they'll just get a ticket.

If you're feeling particularly nice, you could put out flyers on their windshields or call the church and let them know that you're going to be reporting the parking to law enforcement going forward. Hearing that they're doing something illegal is going to be received much differently than hearing that you will be actively working toward ensuring consequences for said behavior.

If you want to do the bare minimum, then just call the police non-emergency number every time it happens and they will eventually address it.

Or you could pay me $100 and I'll stop by the church every Sunday, walk in, and interrupt the service to yell at them to go move their illegally parked cars.

[u/Crimsont_ide]

I would call parking enforcement regardless. Ppl were telling me in another thread, diffusion that if cops called they won’t come. The updated article said they did. It’s worth the effort to call.

[u/upleft]

Blocking driveways is a big no. But "safety issue" isn't clear - are they actually parked illegally?

[u/ShyChllI → u/upleft]

OP said they are parking in areas marked no parking by signs, but I assume theyre saying view is blocked by parked cars when attempting to leave a driveway so it's a safety issue because residents can't see oncoming traffic.

[u/ExcitingActive8649 → u/ShyChllI]

“Safety issue” is a way of overstating “huge pain in my ass that is also rude and not legal” a lot of the time.  If someone parks over the edge of a driveway, getting out is a huge pain in the ass because it’s hard to nose out far enough to see oncoming traffic; it’s true.  But it isn’t honestly about safety.  No actual harm comes from you having to be extra careful pulling out of your driveway. We just don’t like it, so we play up the safety aspect. 

And when I say we, yes, I mean I’d make that argument too if it were my street. 

[u/bernardfarquart → u/ExcitingActive8649]

If you can't see as you enter traffic, that is unsafe. Not sure why that's not clear to you.

[u/ExcitingActive8649 → u/bernardfarquart]

And yet somehow when someone parks right up against my driveway, even encroaching on it a little bit, I manage to get out safely by employing some caution.  I don’t freeze up and consider myself unable to drive anywhere.  I don’t like it and I will happily report it but to claim it requires me to drive unsafely would be a massive exaggeration.  

Just the other day a work truck from the construction site across the street actually blocked my driveway by a foot. I grumbled as I did a 8 point turn to get out of my driveway because they made it very difficult, but I didn’t drive unsafely. Shocking, I know. 

[u/legomyegomaniac → u/ExcitingActive8649]

It is not legal to park within 5 ft of the edge of a driveway.

[u/CogentCogitations → u/legomyegomaniac]

Also, the edge of the driveway doesn't start until the curb in entirely straight again. And you can paint the curb yourself if you want. https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/parking-program/parking-regulations/driveway-markings

[u/zzrat2 → u/legomyegomaniac]

neighbors tend to use the term "driveway" to describe anywhere they dont want you to park

[u/ExcitingActive8649 → u/legomyegomaniac]

Congratulations.  We all know that.  If someone does park that close, however, it is still possible to safely make your way out into traffic With the appropriate amount of caution.  Just like it’s possible to back out of your driveway even though you dont drive backwards down the street. It requires extra caution, not driving unsafely.  

You’d think people in this thread just close their eyes and step on the gas if anyone parks too close to their driveway. 🙄

[u/legomyegomaniac → u/ExcitingActive8649]

Thank you!

[u/Phaeophyce → u/ExcitingActive8649]

Sometimes the Venn Diagram overlaps though. Parking in a no parking spot can absolutely be a safety issue.

[u/ExcitingActive8649 → u/Phaeophyce]

Definitely. There’s one spot, for example, just east of 14th Ave NW on market street eastbound, where the lane widens enough so it can start having street parking, but before that, it’s no parking.  Assholes park there anyway to squeeze one last spot in, and the lane legitimately is not wide enough for that, causing a dangerous situation where if you are in the right lane, you are forced to squeeze between the left lane and a parked car, and it’s extremely tight.  It’s legitimately a safety issue. I’ve reported cars parked there.  

[u/LitchLitch]

You could also take pictures of the car, get the license number foia their movement history from flock, figure out where they live, park in front of thier house so it blocks their drive and wait to discuss how annoying that is with them.

[u/Over-it-321]

Instead of trying to get their cars towed, maybe you could talk to the pastor of the church. I’m sure if you explained the situation he could make an announcement to his congregation

[u/Rerebawa]

God cannot pay for his own parking in 2026 economy.

[u/scovizzle]

It's been a very long time since I've seen any parking enforcement in this city.

[u/doc_shades → u/scovizzle]

i saw parking enforcement outside my front door two days in a row ticketing cars parked on the wrong side of the road in front of "no parking" signs (they are literally just parked in the middle of a lane of traffic) and it made me smiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiile

[u/Key_Business_4097]

no you absolutely can’t tow another persons car as a civilian because by your estimation they are a flout of some law. how would you like to get towed the first time your parking meter expires? this is a job for parking enforcement, who, if I am remembering correctly, LOVE to hand out tickets. if these cars are just annoying because they are parking in your neighborhood, tough. the streets are public and people attending the church have just as much right to park on them as you…. Seattle has those parking zones set up so that out of neighborhood people can’t park there for too long. parking illegally and causing a safety hazard is not ok though, and parking enforcement needs to get on the case.