Eugene, OR Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Fine
- Up to $300 (EC 5.995)
- Automatic trigger
- 1 inch of snow or any ice (EC 5.677(2))
- Ban ends
- When city manager announces termination
- Routes covered
- Priority one, two, three (EC 5.677, 5.678)
- Towing
- Immediate, owner pays (EC 5.685)
Summary
Eugene can ban parking on designated snow routes the moment the city manager declares a snow emergency, or automatically once an inch of snow or any ice accumulates on a priority one or two route, under EC 5.677. The ban stays in force until the city manager announces it is lifted, and a vehicle left on the route may be towed and impounded at the owner's expense.
(1) Whenever the city manager or the manager's designee finds, on the basis of falling snow, sleet, freezing rain, formation of ice, or on the basis of a forecast by the U. S. Weather Bureau of snow, sleet or freezing rain, that weather conditions will make it necessary that streets be sanded and that parking on city streets be prohibited or restricted for snow plowing and other purposes, the city manager or the manager's designee may put into effect a parking prohibition on all or parts of priority one routes and priority two routes as necessary by declaring it in the manner prescribed by section 5.681 of this code. (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of section (1) of this section, a parking prohibition shall automatically go into effect on any part of any priority one or priority two route on which there has been an accumulation of one inch or more of snow or an accumulation of ice on the road surface.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 20739, passed June 8, 2026).
Full Breakdown
677 lets the city manager or a designee prohibit parking on priority one and priority two snow routes "on the basis of falling snow, sleet, freezing rain, formation of ice, or on the basis of a forecast by the U. S. Weather Bureau," whenever plowing and sanding will be needed. 678, covers priority three routes on the same trigger. 677(3) runs "until terminated by announcement of the city manager," and the code specifically warns the emergency ban does not create any new right to park where parking is otherwise forbidden.
681, describing the affected streets and effective times. 680 requires a driver whose vehicle stalls on a snow emergency route to have it towed or pushed off the roadway immediately, never left in place. 697, at the owner's expense. 687 during a snow emergency.
Violations & Fines
EC ch.5 does not list a specific dollar penalty for a snow-route parking violation, so it falls under the general penalty at EC 5.995: a fine not to exceed $300. Beyond the citation, EC 5.685 authorizes immediate removal and impoundment of any vehicle found parked on a priority route during a declared emergency, at the owner's expense, with notice issued under EC 5.695 and 5.697.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Eugene declare a snow emergency parking ban?
What happens if I leave my car on a snow route during the ban?
Can the city close streets entirely during a snow emergency?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Eugene
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