Salt Lake City, UT Parking Rules: Preferential Parking Districts (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- City Code ch. 12.64
- Occupancy threshold
- 70% of curb space occupied
- Commuter share threshold
- 25%+ non-area vehicles
- Parking violation fine
- up to $100
- Permit misuse penalty
- class B misdemeanor
Summary
Salt Lake City designates preferential parking permit areas near commuter magnets like hospitals and university complexes, exempting resident and business vehicles from parking limits that apply to outside commuters.
This chapter authorizes a program...by which residents and businesses within qualifying areas may receive preferential treatment when competing with commuter vehicles for available on street parking...Seventy percent (70%) or more of the parking capacity is generally occupied...Twenty five percent (25%) of the vehicles occupying the on street spaces are other than area vehicles.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under City Code chapter 12.64, the transportation engineer can declare a city parking permit area where 70% or more of curb space is generally occupied for a four-hour period at least four days a week for nine months a year, and at least 25% of the vehicles parked there are commuter vehicles rather than residents' or businesses' own vehicles. Once declared, vehicles displaying the area's permit are exempt from restrictions written for commuters. Area residents get first priority for permits, followed by area business owners and their full-time employees, then guest and temporary visitor permits; each vehicle gets only one permit and a permit doesn't reserve an actual space.
Violations & Fines
Parking without a valid permit in a designated area is punishable by a fine up to $100. Lying on a permit application or displaying a permit on the wrong vehicle is a class B misdemeanor; misusing a valid permit on another vehicle draws a fine up to $50, and counterfeiting a permit is also a class B misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can get a Salt Lake City area parking permit?
Does a permit guarantee a parking spot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
Compare Salt Lake City to another location·View the Utah parking rules overview
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Preferential Parking Districts in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle preferential parking districts.