Seattle resumes enforcing 72-hour parking rule starting Friday

Beginning Friday, Seattle will resume enforcing its 72-hour parking rule after it was suspended last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Seattle’s traffic code, motorists are not allowed to leave a vehicle parked on the same block of a city street for longer than 72 consecutive hours. The city stopped enforcing the rule in March 2020 after Washington residents were urged to stay home as the coronavirus began spreading throughout the state.

In a blog post on the city’s website, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) said it’s reinstating the 72-hour rule mainly so it can begin removing a number of abandoned vehicles that accumulated on city streets while the rule was suspended.

“While warnings and citations may be issued on any vehicle parked in one place for 72 hours, the initial focus will be on clearing unoccupied hazardous vehicles that may have been abandoned over the past 19 months,” the post said.

The blog post said the city will not impound a vehicle that a person is living in unless it “poses a specific risk to public health.” Such risks include a vehicle that is exceptionally unsanitary or one that doesn’t provide its occupants adequate protection from the weather.

The post also said city residents will soon be able to use the “Find It, Fix It” mobile app to report abandoned vehicles.

“Because enforcement was paused for so long, the City expects that it will take longer than usual to respond to requests to clear abandoned vehicles currently on the streets,” the post said.

The 72-hour restriction does not apply to metered spots or spaces that have hour limits. Violators of the 72-hour rule face $44 tickets and risk getting their vehicles towed, which can cost hundreds of dollars.