The rise in new housing developments and increase in commuters and tourists mean more cars are traveling DC’s roads than ever before. To help improve public safety, ease the flow of traffic, free up short-term parking spaces for businesses and long-term spaces for residents, and balance motorists’ competing needs, DPW provides such on-street parking enforcement services as ticketing, towing, booting, and removal of abandoned and dangerous vehicles.

Abandoned and Dangerous Vehicles

DPW’s Abandoned Vehicle Operations (AVO) office will remove abandoned and dangerous vehicles from public and private properties within the District. AVO inspectors circulate throughout the District looking for abandoned and dangerous vehicles. Residents also should get involved. If you see an abandoned or dangerous vehicle, report it by calling the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center at 311. Abandoned vehicles parked on public space require posting of a warning notice to advise that the vehicle has been reported as abandoned and must be removed within 48 hours. A dangerous vehicle parked on public space or private property does not require a notice.

Abandoned and dangerous vehicles will be removed from public space within five business days. A vehicle on private property cannot be removed before 45 days without the property owner’s permission. A notice to abate the nuisance is sent to the property owner of record. When the property owner is located, removal of the vehicle can generally be expedited. If a vehicle is considered dangerous, it can be removed immediately without the property owner’s consent, after being ticketed.

Abandoned Vehicle Operations will attempt to locate and notify the vehicle’s owner or any lien holder of record once a vehicle has been impounded. Vehicles that remain unclaimed after 28 days of notification are sold at public auction online at www.liquidation.com or scrapped.

Booting

District law states that a vehicle is boot eligible if it has two or more tickets that remain unpaid with no request for adjudication within 60 days of issuance or that remain unpaid after the owner’s appeal rights have been exhausted. The widely recognized “Denver Boot” is applied to the vehicle’s wheel, thus immobilizing it. A booted vehicle is subject to towing immediately unless the outstanding parking tickets and boot fee are paid.

 

 

If overdue parking tickets remain unpaid after a vehicle has been booted, DPW is responsible for removing that vehicle from the street and taking it to the Blue Plains Impoundment and Storage Facility at 5001 Shepherd Parkway, SW. All fines, boot and/or tow fees must be paid at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Adjudication Office at 301 C Street, NW, before the vehicle can be released. The impoundment lot is open weekdays between 8 am and 6 pm.

Metered Parking

Metered parking spaces are found along the District’s commercial streets. In most areas, the meters are in effect from 7 am to 6:30 pm, Monday through Friday only. However, in high traffic areas like Georgetown, and on several blocks around the Verizon Center and Convention Center, parking meter hours may extend until 10 pm, Monday through Saturday. Each meter has a sign that shows how long a vehicle may park. Feeding the meter is not allowed. If the meter is broken, you may park there for the time indicated on the meter; however, first call (202) 541-6030 to report the broken meter and retain the confirmation number. Meters are not in effect on Sundays or observed holidays (see “Useful Information” for observed holidays). Vehicles displaying handicap license tags or signs may park, free of charge, for double the amount of time shown on the meter.

 

Residential Parking

Competition for limited curbside parking spaces in residential neighborhoods led to creation of the Residential Permit Parking (RPP) program, a joint function of the District Department of Transportation, which regulates curbside spaces, and the Department of Motor Vehicles, which issues RPP stickers to vehicles registered in “zoned” neighborhoods. In general, out-of-zone vehicles are allowed to park in an RPP zone for up to two hours.

DC residents who live on zoned streets must display a valid RPP permit to park in their neighborhoods weekdays between 7 am and 8:30 pm, without being ticketed. There are some neighborhoods, e.g., Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, the Convention Center and Nationals Park (baseball stadium), where residential parking restrictions extend beyond 8:30 pm weekdays and may include weekends. Short-term permits are available for visitors, nurses, and contractors. District residents may obtain visitor parking permits free of charge at a police station or substation in the ward where they live. Health care providers and contractors should contact the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain their short-term permits.

To have your street included in the RPP program, call the Department of Transportation at 311, the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center, to reach the District Department of Transportation.

ROSA – Register Out-of-State Automobiles

Automobiles housed in the District for 30 uninterrupted days are required to be registered and display a valid DC inspection sticker and license tags when parked on public space. Students, military, elected and appointed government officials and diplomats may obtain an exemption from this requirement from the Department of Motor Vehicles; otherwise, vehicles will be ticketed for not being registered.

Ticketing

Parking Control Officers patrol District residential and commercial streets to make sure parking laws are obeyed. They also respond to enforcement requests from residents and businesses. Payment instructions are printed on the reverse side of all tickets. Parking tickets are adjudicated by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Occasionally, a parking sign may be missing or signs may appear to be in conflict. They should be reported by calling the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center at 311.

Towing

DPW may tow a vehicle, once it is ticketed, for any parking violation, including:

If you suspect your vehicle has been towed or to confirm the location of a vehicle, call 311 or go to DPW's online Towed Vehicle Locator. You also can contact the District’s Towing

Control Dispatch Center at (202) 576-6071. Please note that this number does not accept messages.