Bowling Green, KY Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)

City Code Sec. 22-4.09(a) authorizes the Director of Public Works, or a designee, to declare an emergency because of snow, freezing rain, sleet, ice, snow drifts or other natural phenomena that create or are likely to create hazardous road conditions, impede emergency vehicles, or otherwise endanger public safety and welfare. Once declared, the Director may restrict use of public rights-of-way for up to ninety-six hours, and may issue successive restrictions if the emergency continues beyond that period. Sec. 22-4.09(b) specifically addresses plow routes: snow emergency plow routes are designated by the Director of Public Works, and vehicles must not be stopped, parked or left unattended in a way that blocks or impedes clearing of those routes for the duration of the emergency, though the section carves out a narrow exception permitting a vehicle to stop briefly to load or discharge passengers.

As with other Chapter 22 parking provisions, a violation is enforced through the Sec. 22-6 citation process, carrying the standard $25 civil penalty under Sec. 22-6.03 (doubling to $50 if unpaid or unappealed within 14 days), and each day the violation continues is a separate offense under Sec. 22-4.10. A vehicle blocking an active plow route can also be towed without prior notice under Sec. 22-6.05 if it creates a hazardous condition the owner cannot or will not correct.