Bowie, MD Parking Rules: Preferential Parking Districts (2026)

Section 14-24A sets the petition threshold: a neighborhood group, group of residents or community association must gather the signature of an adult member of at least 80% of the households in the residential area, clearly identifying the district's boundaries and streets on every page of the petition, before the City Council will act. Once a valid petition arrives, the City Council must hold a public hearing and weigh factors including residents' safety from nonresident parking pressure, the difficulty residents face finding on-street parking near their homes, and the need to keep some spaces open for visitors and the general public, before creating, altering or eliminating a district by resolution that fixes its boundaries, hours and conditions.

Once a district exists, § 14-24B lets any resident of that district, defined as a licensed driver who lives there as an owner, tenant, or with some other right of occupancy, apply for a permit that must be affixed permanently to the left rear bumper of the vehicle. Permits expire the moment the holder stops living in the district or the vehicle is sold, transferred or scrapped, and a replacement follows the same application process as an original permit. Visitors get a 30-day temporary permit displayed on the dashboard, extendable on request to a defined period of up to 90 days. Eliminating a district requires the same 80%-household petition and public hearing used to create one.