Joliet, IL Parking Rules: Preferential Parking Districts (2026)

Section 19-151(a) authorizes the city council to designate any on-street area a residential permit parking zone, restricting parking to block residents, their visitors, and people servicing the residents. Eligibility requires a majority of block residents to file an application and a city parking study showing 33 percent or more of parked vehicles are not owned by block residents; the study also sets the days, hours, or months the restriction runs. Under 19-151(b), the application goes to the plan commission for a public hearing using the same procedure as a zoning amendment, and the council makes the final call, including the authority to reject an otherwise-eligible block if public parking demand outweighs the residents' interest.

Once posted with 'parking by permit only' signs, 19-151(c) makes it unlawful to park without a displayed residential or visitor permit, though 19-151(d) lets service and delivery vehicles stay while completing business. The city manager or a designee issues residential permits to registered vehicle owners and time-limited visitor permits under 19-151(e)-(f), can charge a fee capped at the program's administrative cost under 19-151(k), and can refuse a permit to anyone with an unpaid parking ticket or delinquent city debt under 19-151(i). Permits can be revoked for violating parking rules in the zone or for lending a permit to someone ineligible under 19-151(j).

A permit never guarantees a specific space (19-151(g)), and holders must still obey every other applicable parking and traffic rule (19-151(h)). 1(F) of the Joliet Zoning Ordinance, though a district can cover only part of a block where land uses are mixed.