Westland's Parking Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles parking rules a little differently. In Westland, Michigan, there are 10 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.

EV Charging

Westland allows electric vehicle parking spaces to count toward required parking, but caps that credit at 10 percent of total required spaces.

Key details: EV parking credit cap: 10% of required spaces. Governing table: Table 11.9.7 parking ratios. Adopted: Ord. No. 248, Oct. 21, 2024. Effective: January 1, 2025.

Not a standalone violation: a site plan claiming more than the 10 percent EV credit toward required parking is non-compliant with Table 11.9.7 and is rejected at site plan or permit review until the count is corrected.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Westland gives residents more flexibility on ev charging.

Abandoned Vehicles

Westland treats storing a junked or unlicensed automobile on private property as a blight factor the owner must remove within ten days of a notice.

Key details: Governing sections: §§ 22-456, 22-458(1). 'Junked' threshold: Inoperative over 10 days. Removal notice period: 10 days after service. Enforced by: Director of building.

Keeping a junked or unlicensed automobile on private property without a junkyard permit or used car license, after a ten-day removal notice, violates sections 22-458(1) and 22-459 of the blight ordinance.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Westland actively enforces its abandoned vehicles requirements.

Loading Zones

Westland's zoning ordinance sets siting, size, and access standards for commercial loading berths, barring them within 30 feet of a street intersection and restricting vehicle repair work near homes.

Key details: Street-corner setback: 30 feet from intersections. Minimum berth size: 10 ft x 30 ft, 15 ft clearance. Repair work near homes: Barred within 500 feet. Governing provision: Zoning Ordinance § 11.9.10. Adopted: Oct. 21, 2024 (Ord. No. 248).

Operating a loading berth that violates the siting, size, or repair-work restrictions can draw a fine up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both under Sec. 19.1, with each day counted separately.

Snow Removal Parking Rules

Westland's mayor can declare a weather emergency and ban parking on both sides of every city street once snow or ice reaches about four inches deep, with violators towed.

Key details: Trigger depth: ~4 inches of snow/ice. Who declares it: Mayor or designee. Restriction: Both sides of street. Enforcement: Towing at owner's expense.

A vehicle parked contrary to a declared weather emergency, or abandoned on an affected street, may be towed away at the owner's risk and expense (§ 98-8(d)).

This is one of the stricter rules in Westland's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Street Parking Limits

Westland bans using a public street to park a vehicle for sale, repairs, advertising, or vending, restricting streets to genuine parking rather than a storefront or workshop.

Key details: Banned purposes: Sale, repair, ads, vending. Repair exception: Emergency repairs only. Political signs: Not banned as advertising. Penalty: Misdemeanor.

Violating § 98-3(f) is a misdemeanor under § 98-3(g); vehicles parked in violation of the Code may be towed under § 98-6.

Overnight Parking

Westland forbids parking a vehicle on any street for storage purposes beyond 48 hours, so a car cannot sit on the street indefinitely, overnight after overnight.

Key details: Storage limit: 48 hours on a street. Basis: City Code § 98-3(f)(5). Penalty: Misdemeanor. Enforcement: Towing possible under § 98-6.

Violating the 48-hour street-storage limit is a misdemeanor under § 98-3(g); the vehicle may also be towed and impounded at the owner's expense under § 98-6.

Towing & Impound Rights

Westland Code Sec. 98-6 treats any vehicle parked contrary to the Code as a nuisance that the Westland Police Department may tow to a place of safekeeping, and requires the department to notify the Michigan Secretary of State within 24 hours of taking the vehicle into custody. Sec. 98-7 then makes the owner liable to the city for an administrative impound/towing fee, which the Sec. 46-2 police fee table sets at $88.00 per car if the vehicle is claimed and $18.00 per car if it is not, on top of a $25.00 per day storage charge for vehicles held on police department property.

Key details: Towing authority: Westland Police Department, for any vehicle parked contrary to the Code (Sec. 98-6(a)). Secretary of State notice: Within 24 hours after the vehicle is taken into custody (Sec. 98-6(b)). City impound/towing fee, claimed: $88.00 per car (Sec. 46-2 police fee table). City impound/towing fee, unclaimed: $18.00 per car. Storage on police department property: $25.00 per day.

A tow under Sec. 98-6 does not clear the parking violation. The section expressly preserves the ticket, so the owner or operator can be cited for the Code provision that triggered the removal while also paying to recover the car. Recovery costs are cumulative: the city administrative impound/towing fee of $88.00 for a claimed vehicle, $25.00 for every day the vehicle sits on police department property, and the private wrecker charges, which Westland does not regulate. A vehicle left unclaimed is billed at $18.00 per car instead, and its disposition passes to the state abandoned vehicle process rather than the city unclaimed property article, per Sec. 78-35. Handicapper space misuse in a shopping center lot is a civil infraction under Sec. 98-2(g) in addition to the tow. For the vehicles covered by Sec. 98-65, refusal or inability to show identity and ownership or to sign the receipt simply keeps the machine in the pound, where the $5.00 per day charge continues to run after the first 24 hours.

Driveway Rules

Westland's zoning ordinance bans parking in a required front yard beyond 40 percent of that yard's area and requires driveways to be hard-surfaced: loose gravel and asphalt millings don't count as a legal surface.

Key details: Front-yard parking cap: 40 percent of front yard. Required surface: Dustless all-weather material. Gravel / millings: Not a legal surface. Alternatives allowed: Permeable pavers, pervious concrete.

Paving a front yard beyond the 40 percent limit or surfacing it with gravel violates § 11.9.6: § 19.1 sets a fine up to $500 and up to 90 days imprisonment per day, plus civil nuisance-per-se abatement.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Westland bars parking or storing a commercial vehicle over 10,001 pounds GVWR in any residential or business district for more than one hour, outside a short list of exceptions.

Key details: Weight threshold: 10,001+ lbs GVWR. Time limit: 1 hour in res./business districts. Penalty: Misdemeanor. Loading bay allowance: 1 extra vehicle per bay.

A parking violation under this section is a misdemeanor (Code § 98-3(g)); vehicles left in violation of the City Code may also be towed and impounded at the owner's expense under § 98-6.

RV & Boat Parking

Westland keeps boats, campers, and RVs off residential lawns and easements and bans them in front of the front building line, but allows temporary driveway parking up to 48 hours a week.

Key details: Driveway exception: Up to 48 hrs / 7-day period. Front-yard boats/RVs: Banned in front building line. Public street: No RV parking at all. Penalty: Misdemeanor.

A violation of § 98-3 is a misdemeanor under § 98-3(g); improperly parked vehicles may be towed and impounded at the owner's expense under § 98-6.

The Bottom Line

Westland is tougher than many cities when it comes to parking rules. Out of the 10 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Westland, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

All of the above reflects Westland's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.