Kennewick's Parking Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles parking rules a little differently. In Kennewick, Washington, there are 7 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Loading Zones

Kennewick limits standing in a marked loading zone to the time needed to load or unload property, capped at 30 minutes, under KMC 11.90.790; developments must also provide loading spaces under KMC 18.36.110.

Key details: Max stand time: 30 minutes. Governing section: KMC 11.90.790. Development loading requirement: KMC 18.36.110. Enforcement: Civil traffic infraction, RCW 46.63.

Standing in a loading zone past 30 minutes, or outside its designated purpose, is a traffic infraction under KMC 11.90.790, processed under the RCW 46.63 infraction procedure adopted at KMC 11.90.1050.

Driveway Rules

Kennewick requires the driveway to each home's primary parking area be paved with asphalt or concrete, or a Planning Director-approved hard surface: unpaved dirt or gravel parking isn't allowed in residential zones.

Key details: Governing section: KMC § 18.36.100(1). Required surface: Asphalt or Portland cement pavement. Accessory driveway alternative: 3-inch compacted gravel minimum. Enforcement: Misdemeanor under KMC § 18.54.090.

Failing to pave a required residential driveway violates Title 18 zoning standards; Kennewick Municipal Code § 18.54.090 makes any Title 18 violation a misdemeanor, punishable until the property is brought into compliance.

Overnight Parking

Kennewick bars leaving a vehicle stationary on any public way for more than 72 consecutive hours, though residents may park continuously in front of their own home for up to two weeks.

Key details: Time limit: 72 consecutive hours, any public way. Citation: KMC 11.36.050(2). Resident exception: Up to two weeks fronting own home. No clock-reset defense: Moving vehicle doesn't excuse violation.

Leaving a vehicle on a Kennewick public way past 72 consecutive hours violates KMC 11.36.050(2); shuffling the vehicle to reset the clock is not a defense.

Street Parking Limits

Kennewick's on-street parking code, KMC 11.36.030, bars parking in fire zones, within five feet of a driveway's curb radius, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, within 20 feet of a crosswalk, and against the flow of traffic with the left wheels to the curb. Violations are civil infractions capped at a $250 penalty.

Key details: Governing section: KMC 11.36.030. Driveway buffer: 5 ft from curb radius end. Fire hydrant buffer: 15 feet. Crosswalk buffer: 20 feet. Wrong-way parking: Barred, right side must face curb.

KMC 11.36.900 sets the penalty for Chapter 11.36 violations, including 11.36.030, as an infraction punishable by a civil penalty not exceeding $250. Moving a vehicle you don't lawfully control into a prohibited space, or moving it away from a curb an unlawful distance, is separately barred by KMC 11.36.030(3)(c). There is no administrative appeal written into the section; a parking citation is contested like any other civil infraction, in court.

Abandoned Vehicles

Abandoning a vehicle on Kennewick city streets is prohibited, and the City can dispose of it under the vehicle-storage and public-nuisance provisions of the municipal code.

Key details: Citation: KMC 11.36.050(1). Disposal authority: KMC 11.90.640 or 9.48.035. Related limit: 72-hour public-way parking cap.

Abandoning a vehicle on a Kennewick street violates KMC 11.36.050(1) and exposes the vehicle to disposal under the City's vehicle-storage and nuisance-abatement provisions.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Kennewick bans parking or storing commercial vehicles overnight or routinely in any residential (R) zoning district under KMC 18.12.220, with one narrow exception: a commercial vehicle weighing 10,000 pounds gross or less may be kept if the property holds a home occupation permit approved under KMC 18.42.090. Heavier trucks and any vehicle without that permit have no lawful place to park in a Kennewick residential district.

Key details: Where banned: Overnight or routine parking in any R district. Only exception: Home occupation permit under KMC 18.42.090. Weight cap: 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. Vehicle cap under permit: No more than two qualifying vehicles. Governing section: KMC 18.12.220 (Ord. 5558 Sec. 1, 2014).

Parking or storing a commercial vehicle overnight in a Kennewick residential zone without a qualifying home occupation permit is a Title 18 zoning violation, enforced as a misdemeanor under KMC 18.54.090. Code Enforcement can also pursue the general nuisance and abatement remedies at KMC 9.48.020, including a notice and order, civil penalty assessment, or referral to the City Attorney for prosecution, if the vehicle isn't moved after notice.

RV & Boat Parking

Kennewick lets residents store their own trailers, boats, camper tops, travel trailers, and RVs on residential and HMU-zoned lots outside the public way, but the storage must meet street-frontage setbacks.

Key details: Zones allowed: All R districts and HMU district. Owner requirement: Must be owned by resident. Location limit: Not within the public way. Setback rule: Must meet street-frontage setback.

Storing a non-resident-owned RV or trailer in a residential yard, or parking any recreational vehicle within the public way or in violation of street-frontage setbacks, is a zoning code violation subject to City enforcement.

The Bottom Line

Kennewick's parking rules rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Kennewick is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Kennewick can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.