Royal Oak, MI Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)

Adopted in 1992, the Snow Emergency Ordinance gives the Royal Oak Police Chief or a designated representative authority to declare a snow emergency and to announce it publicly through broadcast, cable television and, when feasible, a newspaper of general circulation under § 625-4. Once declared, § 625-3 makes it unlawful to park or leave a vehicle on any street, defined broadly under § 625-2 as the full width between boundary lines of any publicly maintained way open to vehicular travel. The prohibition stays in effect, per § 625-5, until the Police Chief announces its end, except that any street that becomes substantially clear of snow and ice curb-to-curb along its entire block is automatically excluded from the ban even before a citywide announcement.

A stalled or disabled vehicle is not exempt: § 625-6 requires the operator to arrange towing or push the vehicle off the street immediately, and forbids leaving it unattended except for the time needed to walk to a phone or nearby garage and return. § 625-8 gives the City an evidentiary presumption that the registered owner parked the vehicle, easing enforcement. Under § 625-9, a vehicle left on a City street in violation is deemed a public hazard and obstruction of traffic and may be towed and impounded immediately, with removal and storage costs due before the owner can reclaim it, separate from any fine. § 625-10 exempts an owner whose premises lacks a driveway from having to move the vehicle, provided the owner obtains a special parking permit from the Police Department and displays it in the front driver-side window.