Cincinnati, OH Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)

Section 502-25 defines "snow emergency routes" as through streets or portions of through streets marked with official signs on one or both sides, designated by the city manager as streets that must stay open and clear during hazardous weather. Once a snow emergency is declared, the Cincinnati Police Division may remove vehicles parked on those routes to a safe place to allow plowing. For the first three hours after the declaration, the owner of a towed vehicle is not subject to citation or the city's removal charges, notwithstanding the general parking-violation and impoundment provisions in §§ 508-4 and 513-1.

After that three-hour window, an owner whose vehicle remains on a snow emergency route is subject to both citation and the impounding fees set under § 513-7, which the city manager sets on a biennial schedule to recover towing, storage, processing, and impound-lot costs, posted where the fees are paid. Anyone who believes their vehicle was towed improperly can seek review under § 513-9: at the time of claiming the vehicle, the owner may request an immediate review by a person designated by the police chief, who must issue a written decision within 48 hours; a further appeal to the city's Office of Administrative Hearings requires a written notice and a bond equal to the fees and fines due, filed within 48 hours of the first decision. The emergency, and the restrictions it triggers, ends only when the city manager declares its termination as conditions permit.