Elyria, OH Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Four inches or more of snow within twenty-four hours or less
- Announcement
- Safety Service Director; effective no sooner than one hour later
- Notice channels
- City website, NIXLE, WENS, radio, cable, newspapers and others
- Ban scope
- No parking on the streets designated in division (c)
- End of emergency
- Director announces snow plowing operations are completed
- Penalty
- Minor misdemeanor; towing at owner's expense
Summary
In the City of Elyria, Ohio, Codified Ordinances § 351.18 declares a snow emergency whenever snow falls to a depth of four inches or more within twenty-four hours or less. The Safety Service Director announces parking restrictions effective no sooner than one hour later, and no vehicle can be parked on the designated streets.
(a) Whenever, during any period of twenty-four hours or less, snow falls in the City or in a section or sections thereof to a depth of four inches or more, an emergency is declared to exist in that such a heavy snow storm constitutes a serious public hazard ... Such emergency shall continue until an announcement by the Director of Safety-Service that snow plowing operations have been completed ... (b) Whenever such an emergency exists, the Safety Service Director shall make an announcement that an emergency exists and the time that such emergency parking regulations shall become effective, which time shall be no sooner than one hour after the first announcement. ... (c) During the period of the emergency, the Director may prohibit the parking of any vehicles upon the following designated streets: ... During the emergency, no person shall park or cause to be parked or permit to be parked or permit to remain parked or abandon or leave unattended any vehicle of any kind or description upon such designated streets.
Full Breakdown
Section 351.18 of the Elyria Traffic Code, adopted by the Elyria City Council and amended by Ordinance 2022-35 on 2-22-22, controls parking during snow emergencies in the City of Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio. Under division (a), an emergency is declared to exist whenever, during any period of twenty-four hours or less, snow falls in the City or in a section of it to a depth of four inches or more. The emergency continues until the Director of Safety-Service announces that snow plowing operations have been completed.
Under division (b), the Safety Service Director announces that an emergency exists and the time the emergency parking regulations take effect, which must be no sooner than one hour after the first announcement. The announcement can go out on the local cable television channel, local newspapers and websites, the City of Elyria website, a local radio station, NIXLE, WENS (the Lorain County EMS system) and any other means the Director deems appropriate. These notices count as notice to the public whether or not individual notice was received, and owners and operators carry full responsibility to determine weather conditions and comply.
Division (c) lets the Director prohibit parking of any vehicles on the designated streets, among them Fourth Street from West Avenue to Middle Avenue, Broad Street from Cedar Street to Water Street, West Avenue from 4th Street to Oberlin Road, and East River Street from Lincoln Street to 4th Street. During the emergency, no person can park, permit to remain parked, abandon or leave unattended any vehicle on those streets.
Section 351.17 adds that excessive snowfall is one of the conditions in which the Mayor can order vehicles off affected streets, and the Police Department can have them towed at the owner's expense. Section 303.08(a)(1) allows removal of a vehicle illegally parked so as to unreasonably interfere with snow removal operations.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 351 prints no separate penalty for § 351.18, so § 351.99(a) applies: a minor misdemeanor. Parking notices can be settled at the Clerk of the Elyria Municipal Court for fifteen dollars ($15.00), fifty dollars ($50.00) for the third notice within a consecutive one-year period, and one hundred dollars ($100.00) from the fourth on. Under §§ 351.17 and 303.08, the vehicle can be towed, and the owner pays the towing company.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much snow triggers an Elyria snow emergency?
How will I know when the parking ban starts?
Which Elyria streets are covered?
Can my car be towed during a snow emergency?
Sources & Official References
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