Norfolk, VA Parking Rules: Preferential Parking Districts (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 25-286.2, Norfolk Code
- Petition threshold
- 75% of households/businesses
- Annual decal fee
- $10.00 per vehicle
- Hearing decision window
- 45 days, plus 30 extension
- Enforcement delay
- 30 days after signs posted
- Business decal formula
- 1 per 350 sq ft floor space
Summary
Norfolk lets residents and business owners petition the city manager to create a parking-permit district under City Code § 25-286.2, restricting on-street parking to permit holders during set hours. A petition needs signatures from 75 percent of the district's households or businesses, and the city manager can also create a district unilaterally to protect public health, safety or welfare. Decals cost $10.00 a year.
(a)Establishment. The city manager is hereby authorized to designate, by written order or regulation, roads, streets and other areas within the city in which the parking of vehicles may be restricted, in whole or in part, during certain specified times, to holders of valid parking permits issued pursuant to this section. The city manager shall consider the institution of a parking permit system upon petition by the residents and businesses as provided herein or upon identification by the city manager of a public health, safety and welfare issue... (h)Issuance of decals; proration.(1)A fee of ten dollars ($10.00) per annum shall be charged for the issuance of all decals. Bona fide residents shall be entitled to one decal per vehicle registered in their name to that address... Parking decals shall be issued on an annual basis by the division of parking facilities for the period commencing at 12:01 a.m., June 1 and expiring at midnight May 31 of the following year.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 166).
Full Breakdown
2 authorizes the city manager to designate roads and areas within the city as parking-permit districts, restricting on-street parking, in whole or in part, at specified times, to holders of a valid parking permit. Before creating a district on request, the code requires a petition signed by representatives of at least 75 percent of the residents and businesses in the proposed area; the director of public works reviews the petition for sufficiency, and a sufficient petition triggers a traffic engineering study and a public hearing advertised in a newspaper of general circulation.
The city manager decides within 45 days of the hearing's close, with a possible 30-day extension, whether to designate the district. 2(f) lets the city manager bypass the petition and hearing process and designate a district on his own initiative when necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare. 00. 00 each. Businesses receive decals based on one per 350 square feet of floor space, minus existing off-street employee spaces, capped at the number of employees at that location. 00. Enforcement does not begin until 30 days after signs are posted, and construction, utility, and boat, house or utility trailers are exempt. 1.
Violations & Fines
Section 25-286.2(j) makes it unlawful to park in a district contrary to the posted regulations or a permit condition; violators are 'punished as provided in chapter 25.1 of the City Code,' which sets the citywide parking-ticket fine schedule, and the offending vehicle 'may be towed by or at the direction of the department of police.' The city manager may also revoke abused decal privileges.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Norfolk residents start a residential parking-permit district?
What does a Norfolk residential parking decal cost?
Can Norfolk create a parking-permit district without a resident petition?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Norfolk
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