Enforcement of the Lawn Parking Ordinance

The key to enforcing the ban on parking on the lawn is citizen reporting of violators. A call to 311 starts the process; you must supply the address, the make and model of the vehicle if possible, the license number, and the date and time of the violation.

Violations should be reported to Kay Vargas by phone at 974-5572, or by email at kay.vargas@ci.austin.tx.us. An officer will be assigned to follow up with a visit and a citation.

The initial fine for lawn parking is $20.00. The car owner has twenty days after receiving the citation to pay the fine or to go to hearing on the assigned date. If the owner does not go to hearing or fails to pay the $20.00 fine, the citation is moved to the standard fine folder and the fine is doubled to $40.00.

The owner has thirty days to pay the $40.00 fine. After that thirty day period, if the owner does not pay the standard fine, he is mailed a delinquent notice. If he still does not pay the $40.00 fine after six months, the citation goes to collections and an agency will try to collect the fine.

Multiple citations may be issued on the same vehicle in the same location, each carrying the same penalties. The more you complain, the more expensive it gets.

If the person has three or more outstanding citations, the court will issue a BNC (BOOT NOTICE CREATED) order. If the car is parked on the city street but not in front of the owner's home it may be towed by the City or made fully immobile with a "boot" attached to a wheel.

Click http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/zoning/downloads/amended_fyp_ord.pdf for the full text of the parking ordinance (030717-131).

Thanks to Gina Almon for contributing to this research.

~by Keith Huntsman
File photo - not a neighbor