A handy guide to avoid parking tickets in downtown York: Parking bureau chief shares tips

Lena Tzivekis, York Daily Record
·4 min read
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Expired vehicle inspection? Parking in a boot zone?

With 1,260 garage parking spaces and 350 on-street parking meters available in downtown York, there are plenty of ways to get a ticket.

York Parking Bureau Manager Kittrell Barnes has suggestions to help people navigate parking downtown.

"Downtown parking is not meant for everyone to have a space in front of the establishment they are going to. In most cases, it's easier to park in a garage. You're less likely to get a ticket, and you're free to explore downtown without the two-hour limit on the meter," Barnes said.

Parking meters in downtown York City allow for payment by coins and the ParkMobile app.
Parking meters in downtown York City allow for payment by coins and the ParkMobile app.

Street parking

Street parking meters charge $1.50 per hour, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the "Retail Zone," and they allow for payment by coins and the ParkMobile app. Parking meters located in the "Retail Zone" include:

  • George Street between King Street and North Street

  • Beaver Street between King Street and Gas Avenue

  • Market Street between Duke Street and Pershing Avenue

  • Philadelphia Street between Duke Street and Pershing Avenue

Handicapped parking is permitted and available at all blue-headed meters marked HCP Parking and all available meters in the city.

If a meter does not appear to be working, visitors are required to pay through the ParkMobile app.

Meters are free on Sundays and holidays observed by the City of York.

What holidays are recognized by York?

  • New Year’s Day

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

  • Good Friday

  • Memorial Day

  • Independence Day

  • Labor Day

  • Thanksgiving Day

  • Day after Thanksgiving

  • Christmas Eve

  • Christmas Day

Parking garages

York City has three parking garages within walking distance of downtown attractions with hourly rates of $3 per two hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The garages are free all day on Saturday and Sunday:

  • Market Street: 41 E. Market St.

  • Philadelphia Street: 25 W. Philadelphia St.

  • King Street: 15 W. King St.

Barnes said York's parking system is similar to other city systems in Lancaster, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Baltimore, although each operates its parking in a way that works best for its city.

The King Street parking garage at 15 W. King St.
The King Street parking garage at 15 W. King St.

Can your car get booted?

Found a big, yellow clamp on your tire? You may have seen this on cars in Philadelphia or New York, and it can happen in York, too.

Booting your car temporarily immobilizes the vehicle and prevents it from operating with a device that will not cause damage to the vehicle unless the device is moved.

According to Article 507 of the city code, booting is allowed in York, and vehicles can be booted on both public and private property. Vehicles parked on private property require the permission of the property owner, and it can often be costly to have the boot removed from your vehicle.

Parking violations

Did you know that parking enforcement officers can issue tickets for vehicle registration and inspection sticker expiration, as well as meter violations?

Parking enforcement officers can also write tickets for drivers who obstruct traffic.

"If you were to park your car in the middle of a drive lane and walk off to do something else, we can give tickets for that because you're obstructing traffic," Barnes said.

"Parking enforcement officers can only write tickets for vehicles," Barnes said. "Confrontation is something we deal with every day, whether it's on the street or here at City Hall on the phone."

Verbal arguments occur both in person when officers write tickets and over the phone when customers call to pay or dispute fines, but Barnes said tensions often cool once it is fully explained to the individual why they received a ticket.

Kittrell Barnes, Parking Bureau Manager for York City, smiles outside City Hall in late November.
Kittrell Barnes, Parking Bureau Manager for York City, smiles outside City Hall in late November.

Paying fines

Whether you live in the city, or find yourself navigating the downtown streets, chances are you find yourself glancing out your windows early in the morning, or running to your car before the meter runs out.

Let's face it − no one wants to pull up to their car and see a white slip under the windshield or a parking enforcement officer approaching their vehicle.

If you receive a parking ticket, the Parking Bureau recommends paying the fee within five business days to avoid additional charges.

Fines can be paid in person at City Hall, by mail, online, or by phone by providing the ticket number and the license plate number of the vehicle that received the ticket.

Where does the parking money go?

Included in the city parking bureau budget are salaries for officers, of which the city currently employs seven.

According to Scott Miller, York's chief of staff, in 2023 the city's total revenue from parking was $3,072,900; total expenses were $4,310,032.

When you pay for parking, that money goes into a general fund that the city uses in some way to give back to the municipality. Barnes added, "I don't have any say in how it's distributed, but it all goes back to the city."

"We try to explain to people as much as we can what we're doing and what we're trying to achieve," Barnes said. "People think it's personal when we give out parking tickets. It's really not. We're just doing our jobs."

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: A handy guide to avoid parking tickets in downtown York, Pa.