AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF THE CITY OF WHITE BEAR LAKE BY REPLACING CHAPTER 603 RELATED TO PARKING

Ordinance/Resolution ID
25-08-2081
Ordinance/Resolution Status
Adopted
Adopted Date
Introduction Date
Public Hearing Date
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The Council of the City of White Bear Lake does ordain as follows:

ARTICLE I.  Parking Regulations. Chapter 603 of the Municipal Code of the City of White Bear Lake is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

ARTICLE VI: TRAFFIC REGULATIONS

CHAPTER 603: PARKING 

603.010 PARKING; DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this chapter, certain words and phrases are defined as follows:

  1. City Manager.  The City Manager shall mean the City Manager, or his or her designee.
  2. Municipal Parking Lots. The areas owned or designated by the City of White Bear Lake and used for the public parking, loading and unloading of vehicles.
  3. Park or Parking. The standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, upon a street or in a Municipal Parking Lot other than temporarily for the purpose of, and while actually engaged in, receiving or discharging passengers or loading or unloading merchandise, or in obedience to traffic regulations, signs or signals or an involuntary stopping of the vehicle by reason of causes beyond the control of the operator of the vehicle.
  4. Street or Roadway. Any public street, avenue, road, alley or highway in the City which is open to the use of the public, as a matter of right, for purposes of vehicular traffic. The terms "street" and "roadway" are used interchangeably herein and include the entire width of the respective public right-of-way.
  5. Vehicle. Any device in, or upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported upon a public roadway.

603.020 PARKING RESTRICTIONS; PERMITS

  1. City Council Designation.  The City Council is authorized to designate parking meter zones and restrict parking at any place within the City, including, without limitation on City streets or in Municipal Parking Lots. In establishing or changing parking meter zones or parking restrictions, the Council shall pass a resolution at a regular or special meeting adequately describing and defining said parking meter zones or parking restrictions.  It is unlawful to park any vehicle in violation of any restriction or limitation imposed pursuant to this subsection, provided, however, that the restriction or limitation is communicated to the public through signage or by other effective means.
  2. Exception; Permit Parking.
    1. Establishment. The City Council may authorize the issuance of permits by the City exempting City residents from parking restrictions established under subsection (1) above on (i) streets adjacent to their homes; and (ii) in Municipal Parking Lots for downtown residents.  The City Council may designate any such permit-only parking area by resolution, and any such resolution shall specifically describe the boundaries and other restrictions related to any permit-only parking area.  Additionally, and regardless of whether any restricted area is formally designated by the City Council as permit-only parking, the City will issue permits to residents allowing them to park in areas subject to restrictions established under subsection (1) above if required for medical purposes, home health care, or other therapeutic reasons. Such special permits shall be issued annually in a manner consistent with other permit parking, as authorized under this subsection.
    2. Application and Term.
      1. A resident parking permit may be obtained by an eligible person, subject to the permit regulations stated herein, upon completing and filing with the City a permit application on a form provided by the City containing all required information.
      2. Any desired permit fee or duplicate permit fee shall be established in the City’s fee schedule. No person shall obtain a duplicate permit unless the original permit has in fact been lost or destroyed, and the City may require a sworn statement attesting to the same.  The permit for which the duplicate permit is issued shall be invalid and no longer in effect.
      3. Any parking permit issued hereunder is valid during only the calendar year for which it was issued. It is the responsibility of the permit holder to obtain a new permit for subsequent years, if desired.
    3. Permit Regulations.
      1. Only persons who can verify permanent residence in a dwelling located within an established permit-only parking zone shall be eligible to obtain a permit from the city.
      2. The maximum number of permits available to each dwelling shall be one per licensed driver permanently residing at the dwelling.
      3. Parking permit stickers shall be permanently affixed to the corresponding vehicle on the back of the rear view mirror positioned closest to the driver's side so as to be clearly visible from the front of the vehicle.
      4. A permit issued does not guarantee or reserve the holder any particular parking space within the restricted area but shall allow for general parking in said area, subject to availability.
    4. Short-Term Visitor Permits. Non-transferrable, short-term visitor permits shall also be made available, at no charge, to persons that reside (i) on City streets with restricted parking; and (ii) in the City’s downtown area. Said permits shall be issued by the City upon written application from the qualifying resident for a period up to 14 days. Visitor permits must be displayed during the entire time the vehicle is parked in a restricted area by attaching the permit to the vehicle’s rear view mirror. Such permits may be used only by visitors, i.e. persons not residing in the dwelling but rather visiting a resident who resides in the dwelling.
    5. For the avoidance of doubt, no permit issued hereunder exempts the holder from adhering to the requirements in Section 603.040 or any temporary parking restrictions established under Section 603.020(3) below.
  3. Temporary Staff Designations.  The City Manager is hereby authorized to forbid or impose other limitations on the parking of vehicles for temporary periods at any place within the City in case of emergency.  Additionally, the City Manager is hereby authorized to impose temporary parking restrictions on City streets or in Municipal Parking Lots when deemed necessary and in furtherance of public health, safety, or welfare.  It is unlawful to park any vehicle in violation of any restriction or limitation imposed pursuant to this subsection, provided, however, that the restriction or limitation is communicated to the public through signage or by other effective means.

603.030 DESIGNATION OF PARKING SPACES; ANGLED PARKING

Parking spaces may be designated by lines painted or durably marked on the curbing or surface of the street or within a Municipal Parking Lot, as the case may be. At each space so marked off it shall be unlawful to park any vehicle in such a way that said vehicle shall not be entirely within the limits of the space so designated.  In areas designated for angled parking through painted lines, no person shall park any vehicle in any manner other than so that the front of vehicle faces the adjacent curb.

603.040 SNOW-RELATED PARKING RESTRICTIONS

  1. No person shall park or permit to be parked any vehicle on any street or roadway or in a Municipal Parking Lot for more than twenty-four (24) hours during the period from November 1 through April 1.
  2. No person shall park or permit to be parked any vehicle on any street or roadway or in a Municipal Parking Lot, except in compliance with the direction of a police officer, for a period of time commencing immediately after the accumulation thereon of three inches or more of snow, and continuing until the snow has been removed to the full width of the street, alley or parking lot.

603.050 GENERAL PARKING RESTRICTIONS

No vehicle shall be parked in violation of any of the following:

  1. No person operating any business may use any street adjacent to or in the vicinity of such business for the storage of vehicles.  As used in this subsection, the term “storage of vehicles” means the parking or staging of vehicle inventory, or the parking of staging of vehicles that are in the possession of the underlying business for repairs or other vehicle-related services. Nothing contained in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit the transient parking of vehicles on streets by employees or customers of said business.
  2. No vehicle shall be parked within 30 feet of any intersection, except as designated by the City pursuant to Section 603.030.
  3. No vehicle shall be parked on the approaches to any bridge, nor upon any boulevard, lawn or grass plot.
  4. No vehicle shall be parked in a loading zone of a Municipal Parking Lot except for purposes of loading and unloading and then only for the length of time reasonably necessary therefor.
  5. No vehicle shall be parked in any alley unless at least ten (1O') feet of the alley is left available for the free movement of traffic.
  6. No vehicle or combination of vehicles over 22 feet in length and seven feet in width, measured between the two most widely separated points or proportions on either side of such vehicle or combination of vehicles, shall be parked on any street or alley for more than 30 minutes, or for a time reasonably necessary to load or unload such vehicle or combination of vehicles.
  7. No vehicle shall be parked in a manner that obstructs or otherwise blocks access to any portion of a driveway.
  8. No vehicle shall be parked in a manner that obstructs or otherwise blocks access to any portion of a sidewalk or trail connection.
  9. No vehicle shall be parked in a manner that is contrary to City-posted parking signage.

603.060 ONE-WAY STREETS

Vehicles parked on one-way streets shall face in the same direction in which traffic is permitted to move on said streets. Vehicles so parked may be placed with either the right-hand or left-hand wheels parallel to the curb, but not more than 12 inches therefrom, with at least four feet between parked vehicles.

In the event a street or roadway includes two separated road surfaces and traffic is restricted to one direction upon any such road surface, no person shall park a vehicle upon the left-hand side of such one-way surface unless signs are erected by the City expressly permitting such parking.

603.070 DOUBLE PARKING

Vehicles shall not stand two or more abreast on any street, except that commercial vehicles, when calling for or delivering parcels or merchandise, may double park for the length of time absolutely and reasonably necessary to expeditiously load or unload when access to the curb is blocked by other vehicles at the place of delivery.

603.080 BLOCKING TRAFFIC

No vehicle shall occupy any street or roadway so as to interfere with or interrupt the passage of other vehicles.

It shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to enter a street intersection or a marked crosswalk area unless there is sufficient space beyond said intersection or crosswalk in the right half of the roadway to accommodate the vehicle without obstructing the passage of vehicles or pedestrians, as the case may be, notwithstanding any traffic control signal to proceed, except that on a one-way street, drivers shall not be restricted to the use of the right half of the road, but may have access to the entire width thereof beyond the intersection or marked crosswalk, provided that sufficient space be available.

It shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to drive across a sidewalk in entering a garage or parking lot unless there is sufficient space beyond the sidewalk in the garage or on the parking lot to accommodate the vehicle without obstructing the sidewalk.

603.090 LARGE VEHICLE RESTRICTIONS IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS

No motor vehicle over one-ton capacity or over 12,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, and no commercially licensed trailer, shall be parked or stored on the street in a residential district except when expeditiously loading, unloading or rendering a service. Notwithstanding the foregoing, school buses may be parked on streets in residential districts for no longer than 90 minutes, provided they are more than 50 feet from any intersection.

603.100 SERVICES, REPAIR, AND EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

A vehicle used in the performance of commercial services, repairs or emergency assistance for any resident living in a residential area are exempt from any restriction imposed under this chapter, provided that the person in control of such vehicle is then performing or the vehicle is in fact then being used in such services, repairs, or assistance.  The exemption granted hereunder shall terminate immediately upon completion of the necessary services, repairs, or assistance, as the case may be.

603.110 HANDICAPPED PARKING

Nothing herein provided shall abrogate the scope of parking privileges granted handicapped persons as established pursuant to this code or statutes enacted by this state.

603.120 PRESUMPTION IN REFERENCE TO ILLEGAL PARKING

In any prosecution charging a violation of any law or regulation governing the parking of a vehicle, proof that the particular vehicle described in the charging document was parked in violation of any such law or regulation, together with proof that the defendant named in the complaint was at the time of such parking the registered owner of such vehicle, shall constitute a prima facie presumption that the registered owner of such vehicle was the person who parked or placed such vehicle at the point where, and for the time during which, such violation occurred.

603.130 TOWING AND STORAGE, LIEN

The City Manager is hereby authorized and empowered to have removed any vehicle and/or trailer located on any street, roadway, or Municipal Parking Lot in violation of this chapter and to have such vehicle removed and stored in a secure indoor or outdoor facility. Such vehicle shall not be removed therefrom until reasonable costs of storing and towing the vehicle have been fully paid. 

In the event that any vehicle held or stored by the direction of the City Manager, upon which there are charges for storage or towing or both, shall not be reclaimed, recovered or taken by the owner thereof, there shall be deemed to be imposed upon such vehicle a possessory lien in the amount so charged and unpaid and should the owner thereof fail to pay the same then the possessory lien may be foreclosed in the manner provided for by law.

603.140 PENALTIES

It shall be unlawful for any person to submit false information in any application for a parking permit issued pursuant to Section 603.020. Violation of any application requirement shall be grounds for denial or revocation of the permit and shall be punishable as a misdemeanor. It shall also be unlawful for any vehicle to be stopped, parked or abandoned in violation of these provisions, and any such violation is hereby declared a petty misdemeanor.

ARTICLE II.  Effective Date.  This ordinance shall become effective on the first day of publication after adoption. 

Adopted by the City Council of the City of White Bear Lake, Minnesota on the 26th day of August 2025.