For those of you, like me, who own cars in Wallingford, this could be an important development for you to consider: the City has begun enforcing the 72-hr. street parking rule once again. On Friday, SDOT sent a notification whose bottom line was:
The City of Seattle is resuming full parking enforcement for any vehicle that has remained in one place unmoved for longer than 72 hours, returning to the normal standards which were temporarily paused in 2020 due to COVID-19 public health guidelines. While full enforcement is resuming now, parking enforcement officers will continue to provide official warning notifications on vehicles allowing owners and occupants to move them before enforcement occurs.
With the gradual lifting of other enforcement measure modifications that came into play when the pandemic burst forth onto the scene in March 2020, this was inevitable. The 72-hr. rule was reinstated beginning last fall with what the City called “unoccupied, abandoned, or hazardous vehicles”, but now will be more broadly enforced. This means that if you park on the street, you should move your vehicle at least every 72-hrs or run the risk of being towed. My understanding is that the enforcement process is typically initiated by a complaint from someone on the block, so this is strong motivation to kiss up to your neighbors (besides, of course, the warm feeling you get by being a generally good person).
The SDOT announcement also provides details about what you might need to do in the ugly circumstance that your car is towed and you need to retrieve it. If you are like me and choose to not think about such unpleasant potential realities of urban living until absolutely necessary, do try to remember that you can quick-reference this information by searching the Wallyhood site. You should therefore never, ever delete your bookmark for Wallyhood…
If a car is towed from a public street, instructions to locate the vehicle and documents required to release your vehicle are available online. The first step to find and reclaim your vehicle is to call Lincoln Towing at 206-364-2000 or search for your vehicle on Lincoln Towing’s www.SeattleImpound.com website.
If your car was towed from a private parking lot, look for posted signs with instructions and a phone number for the tow company which operates the lot. If you still cannot locate your vehicle, call the Community Safety and Communications Center at 206-625-5011.