The City is announcing increases in parking ticket fines effective January 1, 2005. Durango’s current fine schedule includes a $6 fine for parking at an expired meter, $8 for most of the other violations, and a $50 fine for “Unauthorized Parking in a Handicapped Zone”. The City’s $6 fine for an expired meter will remain unchanged. After reviewing the parking fine schedule in November, City Council recommended that the Municipal Court raise all $8 parking tickets to $15, increase the $8 fine for “Parking in a Bus Zone” to $20, and increase the fine for “Unauthorized Parking in a Handicapped Zone”, from $50 to $100. The Municipal Court has amended its parking fine schedule accordingly.

City staff hopes that the plan will curb the high number of unauthorized parking infractions and improve safety and convenience to motorists who share parking spaces within the Central Business District.

The City Parking Division staff has observed significant increases in the number of violations from 2003 to 2004. For example, the recorded number of handicapped zone violations in Durango increased by 79% from 2003 to 2004. The same pattern was true for “No Parking Zones”, which more than doubled during the same time period.

The rational for this increase also considered the fact that Durango’s current parking fines are significantly lower than other peer group communities, including Grand Junction, Aspen, Breckenridge, Park City, Santa Fe, and Telluride. First offense tickets in these municipalities range between $15 and $40, and in many cases, second offense violations double in order to give motorists a strong incentive to comply with regulations. Tickets in most municipalities increase if they are not paid within several days. In Durango, fines will continue to double if they are not paid within five days.