West Palm Beach, FL Parking Rules: Preferential Parking Districts (2026)

City Code §§ 86-248 and 86-249, in Chapter 86's traffic and vehicles article, create the residential parking permit zone program. To qualify, an area must show that on-street parking hits at least 50 percent of legal capacity during the hours to be regulated, that non-resident vehicles substantially interfere with residents' use of those spaces, that the interference is not just an occasional problem, and that 75 percent of the property owners fronting the designated spaces, calculated at one resident per dwelling unit, have signed a petition favoring the zone.

The city's parking administrator or traffic engineer studies a verified petition against these criteria; a zone that covers more than one street and intersection needs city commission approval by resolution before signs go up. Once designated, a property owner applies to the parking administration for a permit with proof of a vehicle registration tied to the address, and pays a fee set by commission resolution. Section 86-249(d) and (e) add two guest categories: a "short term guest permit" for visits under 24 hours, capped at three per residence, and a "visitor permit" for stays of one to seven days, capped at two per residence, with a combined ceiling of three guest permits at a time.

A permit lets a resident's vehicle stop, stand or park past the zone's normal time restriction, but it does not guarantee a specific space and does not excuse the vehicle from other rules such as fire lanes or metered zones.