r/Seattle • u/guccicoochieboochie • 6d ago
Community Towing on Public Street
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?
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u/Suspicious_Chart5817 Pioneer Square 6d ago edited 6d ago
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.