Lauderhill Parking Regulations

The following ordinances answer these commonly asked questions:
What are the rules for parking in the City of Lauderhill? What about a motorized scooter? Can they be ridden on the streets in Lauderhill?

ARTICLE II. PARKING*

*Cross references: Compliance with handicapped parking provisions, § 6-2.1.

(a) Fire lane or fire access road. No person shall cause a motor vehicle to park, stand, stop or otherwise obstruct an area marked or designated "Fire Lane" or "Fire Access Road."

(b) Fire hydrants. No person shall cause a motor vehicle to park or otherwise obstruct any area within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant.

(c) Fire station access. No person shall cause a motor vehicle to park, stand, stop or otherwise obstruct any area within twenty (20) feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station.

(Ord. No. 91-142, § 1, 6-24-91; Ord. No. 92-117, § 1, 3-9-92; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97; Ord. No. 99O-11-160, § 1, 12-13-99)

No person, whether natural or legal, except city authorized maintenance personnel, shall drive, operate or park a motorized or self-propelled vehicle, including autos, motorcycles, mopeds, gopeds, scooters or any other self-propelled vehicle and trucks, upon the portion of a parking lot or street between the curbline, or the lateral line of a roadway or parking lot and the adjacent building or property line, intended for use by pedestrians, of any shopping center, convenience store, business or commercial location.

(Ord. No. 84-172, § 1, 10-29-84; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97; Ord. No. 04O-07-158, § 1, 8-30-04)

(a) No person, whether natural or legal, except city authorized maintenance personnel, shall be permitted to operate any vehicle which is motorized or self-propelled, including but not limited to, automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, mopeds, gopeds, scooters, or any motorized or self-propelled vehicle, upon any sidewalk or bicycle path within the municipal limits of the city. This prohibition shall apply to all motorized or self-propelled vehicles with the exception of wheel chairs and/or carts operated exclusively by the physically impaired or handicapped. This prohibition shall not apply to the operation of golf carts that are operated upon the areas designated within, or in association with, a golf course.

(Ord. No. 04O-07-158, § 2, 8-30-04)

(a) No person, whether natural or legal, shall operate a motorized vehicle within one hundred (100) feet of any road right-of-way within the municipal limits of the city unless said person is in possession of a valid Florida driver's license.

(b) No person shall operate a motorized vehicle within one hundred (100) feet of any road right-of-way within the municipal limits unless said vehicle is licensed by the State of Florida and registered with the State of Florida for operating upon the public rights-of-way of the State of Florida. If any motorized vehicle is not licensed and registered with the State of Florida then it shall be prohibited from being operated upon the any highway, road, street, or within one hundred (100) feet of any road right-of-way within the municipal limits.

(c) Every vehicle, at all times while driven, stopped, or parked upon any highway, road, or street of the city, shall be licensed in the name of the owner thereof in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, and shall be registered in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, unless such vehicle is not required by the laws of Florida to be licensed and registered in this state and shall display the license plate or both of the license plates assigned to it by the state, one (1) on the rear and, if two (2), the other on the front of the vehicle, each to be securely fastened to the vehicle outside the main body of the vehicle in such manner as to prevent the plates from swinging, with all letters, numerals, printing, writing, and other identification marks upon the plates clear and distinct and free from defacement, mutilation, grease, and other obscuring matter, so that they will be plainly visible and legible at all times one hundred (100) feet from the rear or front. The registration for said vehicle shall be made available for inspection upon request.

Nothing shall be placed upon the face or in front of a Florida plate except as permitted by law or by rule or regulation of a governmental agency. No license plates other than those furnished by the state shall be used. However, if the vehicle is not required to be licensed in this state, the license plates on such vehicle issued by another state, by a territory, possession, or district of the United States, or by a foreign country, substantially complying with the provisions hereof, shall be considered as complying with this section.

(Ord. No. 04O-07-159, § 1, 8-30-04)

(a) No motor vehicle shall park upon the paved portion of the right-of-way of any street, avenue or roadway within the city, whether such street, avenue, or roadway is public or private.

(b) No person shall cause a motor vehicle to park, stand, stop or otherwise obstruct any sidewalk, crosswalk, or any area within twenty (20) feet of a crosswalk at an intersection.

(c) No person shall cause a motor vehicle to park, stand, stop or otherwise obstruct the area in front of any driveway, whether public or private.

(d) No person shall cause a motor vehicle to park, stand, stop or otherwise obstruct the area upon any bridge.

(e) No person shall cause a motor vehicle to park, stand, stop or otherwise obstruct the area within thirty (30) feet of the approach to any flashing beacon, stop sign or traffic control signal located at the side of the roadway.

(f) No person shall cause a motor vehicle to park, stand, stop or otherwise obstruct any place where official signs prohibit such parking, standing, stopping or obstruction.

(Ord. No. 378, §§ 1--3, 6-24-74; Ord. No. 85-138, § 1, 3-25-85; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97; Ord. No. 99O-11-160, § 1, 12-13-99; Ord. No. 04O-01-110, § 1, 2-9-04)

(a) No person shall drive, operate or park a motor vehicle in the swale area or upon any unpaved right-of-way adjacent to a paved street, avenue, or roadway, whether public or private, within the city which swale area or unpaved right-of-way abuts the property of another, without the permission of the owner, lessee or occupant of the property abutting the swale area or unpaved right-of-way.

(b) No person shall be permitted to park a motor vehicle upon any unpaved area, whether public or private, which extends between the front of a residence, or other structure, and any sidewalk within the city.

(c) Nothing contained in this section shall prohibit the operation of a city vehicle, emergency vehicle on an emergency service call, or vehicle owned by a utility which is in the course of official business, to park upon the swale area anywhere within the city.

(d) Nothing contained herein shall prohibit any individual from driving or parking upon the swale area abutting the property owned, leased, or occupied by that individual within the city limits.

(e) Any motor vehicle parking within the unpaved swale section of the right-of-way of any street, avenue, or roadway within the city, whether such street, avenue, or roadway is public or private, shall park only parallel to the paved portion of the right-of-way.

(f) No person, whether natural or legal, shall be permitted to park within a residential district any vehicle within the rear or side yard; however, a single recreational vehicle may be parked or stored behind a fence enclosure on a pad of material which has been determined to be suitable and approved by the city engineer. Such a fence enclosure shall be opaque in order to substantially screen the view of the recreational vehicle from the street. Substantially screen shall mean that at least sixty (60) percent of the recreational vehicle is screened by an opaque structure or feature. Any such fence enclosure which has been approved previous to December 31, 2003 shall continue to be allowed.

(g) A recreational vehicle shall not be parked, stored or displayed within any public swale area, or any driveway or front yard; however, within any residential zoning district, a single recreational vehicle may be temporarily parked in a driveway to allow loading, unloading, cleaning and minor repairs, provided such temporary parking does not exceed twelve (12) hours, consistent with Land Development Regulations Article III., Zoning Districts, Part 5.0., Special Regulations for Specific Land Use Classifications and Structures, Section 5.1., Accessory uses and structures, subsection 5.15., Motor vehicle repair in residential zoned districts.

(h) For purposes of section 20-17, a recreational vehicle means a recreational vehicle as defined in Land Development Regulations Article I., General Provisions, Section 1.5., Definitions; general. In addition, for purposes of this section a boat on a boat trailer shall be considered a single recreational vehicle.

(i) This section shall not be applicable if it is otherwise allowed within a planned unit development or condominium association that by its rules, regulations, or bylaws permit such vehicles. Said vehicles still may not be visible from the public street, irrespective of this subsection.

(Ord. No. 230, §§ 1--3, 6-26-72; Ord. No. 84-107, § 1, 2-27-84; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97; Ord. No. 98O-8-141, § 1, 9-14-98; Ord. No. 00O-9-63, § 1, 11-13-00; Ord. No. 03O-05-149, §§ 1--3, 6-30-03; Ord. No. 04O-01-105, §§ 1, 2, 1-26-04)

(a) Commercial vehicles, for purposes of this section and section 20-26, shall be defined as vehicles which are used and registered for business.

(b) No owner or person having the use of a commercial vehicle that has a rated carrying capacity over one (1) ton shall cause or permit the vehicle to be parked on a right-of-way, whether private or public, adjacent to, or on property, which is zoned as residential.

(Ord. No. 151, §§ 1--4, 2-10-74; Ord. No. 94-104, §§ 1, 2, 2-28-94; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97)

(1) Violation of any provision of this article is unlawful; and any person, firm or corporation, upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for the first offense, fifty dollars ($50.00) for the second offense by the same vehicle, and one hundred dollars ($100.00) for the third and each subsequent offense by the same vehicle.

(2) Violations of sections 20-14 and 20-26 shall be subject to a fine of fifty dollars ($50.00) for the first offense and one hundred dollars ($100.00) for the second and each subsequent offense by the same vehicle.

(b) Enforcement. The provisions of Section 316.1967, Florida Statutes, as existing or as may be amended, are hereby incorporated and adopted for the purposes of enforcement in the event of a violator's failure to pay. The clerk of the county court shall supply the department of highway safety and motor vehicles with a magnetically encoded computer tape reel or cartridge which is machine-readable by the installed computer system at the department, listing persons who have three (3) or more outstanding parking tickets. The clerk of the county court shall supply the department with magnetically encoded computer tape reel or cartridge which is machine-readable by the installed computer system in the department, listing persons who have any outstanding violations of Sections 316.1955, 316.1956, Florida Statutes, or any similar local ordinances regulating parking in spaces designated for use by disabled persons. Upon receiving such reel, the department shall mark the appropriate registration records of persons so reported, and no license plate or revalidation sticker shall be issued until such person's name no longer appears on such list or until he or she presents a receipt from the clerk showing that such parking fines have been paid pursuant to Section 320.03(8) of the Florida Statutes.

(c) Repeat violators. If a violator of the provisions of this article, or of any section of the Code where jurisdiction rests in the county court pursuant to section 7 1/2-23, fails to respond to a total of three (3) or more notices or citations, proceedings against such repeat violator may be commenced in the county court system, whereby the fine shall be in excess of that shown on the notice or citation. Fines for repeat violators shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00).

(Ord. No. 81-187, § 1, 1-11-82; Ord. No. 89-175, § 1, 9-25-89; Ord. No. 92-127, § 1, 4-13-92; Ord. No. 92-138, § 1, 5-11-92; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97)

Editor's note: Section 1 of Ord. No. 970-111, adopted April 28, 1997, deleted § 20-20 in its entirety. Formerly, § 20-20 pertained to commercial tractor-trailers and derived from Ord. No. 83-115, § 1, adopted March 14, 1983.

(a) Restrictions. No persons, with the exception of those persons who have been issued an exemption entitlement parking permit pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 320.0848 or a license plate pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 302.084 or 302.0842, all, as currently existing or as may be amended, shall park or leave standing any motor-driven vehicle in any parking space or portion thereof reserved for handicapped or disabled persons pursuant to Chapter 316 of the Florida Statutes, Chapter 516 of the South Florida Building Code and Article III, Section 3.3(c)8, of the city's Land Development Regulations.

(b) Ticketing procedure. Vehicles parked in violation of this section shall be cited by law enforcement officers and/or parking enforcement specialists, such municipal citations to be affixed to the windshield of the offending vehicle where the vehicle is parked or left standing in a space which is reserved for handicapped or disabled persons. The law enforcement officer or parking enforcement specialist may have the offending vehicle removed to a lawful parking space or facility or require the operator or other person in charge of the vehicle to immediately remove the offending vehicle; however, if the offending vehicle is parked in a space provided by a governmental agency, the law enforcement officer or parking enforcement specialist shall have the offending vehicle removed to a lawful parking space or facility or require the operator or other person in charge of the vehicle to immediately remove the offending vehicle and shall charge the operator or other person in charge of the vehicle with violation of this section. Whenever any vehicle is removed by a law enforcement officer or parking enforcement specialist to a storage lot, garage or other safe parking space, the cost of such removal and parking shall be a lien against the vehicle.

(c) Penalties. Any person, firm or corporation found guilty of violating any provision of this section shall be assessed a fine of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) and shall be subject to imprisonment for a term not to exceed thirty (30) days, or both, for each such violation. The fine of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) may be reduced in a court of law where the presiding judge makes an affirmative finding of the existence of extenuating circumstances during the violation of this section.

(d) Expired handicap parking permits. In the event that the person violating subsection 20-21(a) above is in possession of a handicap parking permit which has expired and which has been renewed and is current, the fine for parking in a handicap parking space with an expired permit shall be reduced to twenty-five dollars ($25.00).

(Ord. No. 83-129, § 1, 4-5-83; Ord. No. 84-129, § 1, 5-29-84; Ord. No. 85-176, § 1, 10-29-84; Ord. No. 85-213, §§ 1, 2, 11-25-85; Ord. No. 87-133, § 1, 6-29-87; Ord. No. 89-114, § 1, 5-30-89; Ord. No. 90-184, §§ 1, 3, 11-13-90; Ord. No. 91-143, § 1, 6-24-91; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97)

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to land, park or leave standing a helicopter on a nondesignated area within the city, except in the case of an emergency. For purposes of this section, a designated area for the landing, parking or leaving of a helicopter shall be a helipad or heliport which is approved by the city commission and the federal aviation administration. The term "landing," as used in this section, shall mean the descending or ascending of a helicopter.

(b) Any person, firm or corporation found guilty of violating any provision of this section shall be subject to penalty as set forth in section 1-8 of the Code.

(Ord. No. 85-181, § 1, 9-9-85; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97; Ord. No. 04O-07-149, § 1, 8-30-04)

Any person wishing to contest a municipal parking violation may appeal to a citation review officer as follows:

(1) If the person who receives the citation believes that the citation itself is incorrect for any reason, such person shall notify the city clerk's office in writing within five (5) days of such citation. The person shall be given an opportunity to state objections to the citation review officer who will then make a decision as to the validity of the citation within ten (10) days thereafter. If a decision is made that the citation is invalid, the person will be notified, and no further action by the city shall be taken. If the decision is made that the citation is valid, the violator will be notified and given five (5) days to comply with the citation.

(2) If the violator does not concur with the decision of the citation review officer that the citation is valid, then, upon notice of such adverse decision, the violator may request that the city clerk's office obtain a court date by forwarding the case to the city attorney's office.

(3) The citation review officers shall serve on a volunteer basis and shall be appointed annually by the chief administrative officer. The citation review officers must meet the following requirements:

a. Be either a practicing attorney in any state in the United States, a retired jurist from any state, a retired attorney, or a law student with at least two (2) years of law school education and currently enrolled at an accredited law school.

b. [Be] able to be present at city hall for hearings on a weekly basis.

c. [Be] knowledgeable as to the city's parking code.

(4) The chief administrative officer shall appoint three (3) citation review officers to hear appeals on a rotating basis.

(5) In the event that the city enters into a contract with any governmental agency or other legally empowered entity to provide any or all of the foregoing services on behalf of the city, then the appeal procedures in subsections (1) through (4) above shall be abated to the extent of the services performed for the term of the contract.

(Ord. No. 89-174, § 1, 9-25-89; Ord. No. 92-112, § 1, 2-24-92; Ord. No. 96O-149, § 1, 10-28-96; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97)

(a) This section shall pertain to vans, cars, motor vehicles, trailers, or devices capable of being towed (vehicles) which are owned or leased by tenants or owners located on the same commercial property.

(b) Trailers or other devices capable of being towed which have temporary or permanent signs affixed thereto and motor vehicles with temporary signs affixed thereto are prohibited from commercial sites in the area which extend between the front or side of the building thereon and any thoroughfare which abuts the commercial site.

(c) Vehicles which have a bed size which is shorter than six (6) feet long, with permanent signs affixed thereto, and which are parked in front of a building in a commercial site must be parked in a parking space which immediately abuts or is closest to their business location.

(d) Vehicles with a bed size longer than six (6) feet, with permanent signs affixed thereto, may park on commercial sites in a parking space which immediately abuts, or is closest to, the front of a building from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. and on days when the business, which is named on the vehicle, is closed for the entire twenty-four (24) hour period. In situations where onsite parking in the rear of the building is constrained, such vehicles may park in clearly-marked reserved spaces directly adjacent to the front of the building from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but are otherwise prohibited from parking in the area between the front or side of the building thereon and any thoroughfare which abuts the commercial site.

(e) Vehicles with permanent signs affixed thereto which are permitted by subsections (c) and (d) to park in front of buildings on commercial sites must park in front of or as close as possible to the business whose name appears on the vehicle.

(f) Cars with temporary rooftop signs affixed thereto shall not be subject to the prohibitions of this section if they are temporarily parked on commercial sites, making pickups or deliveries for purposes of the business which owns or employs such cars.

(g) The owner of the business whose name appears on the vehicle, trailer or other device shall be liable for violation unless he can conclusively prove that he is not the owner of such vehicle, trailer or other device or unless he can conclusively prove that his business is not located at that commercial site and that he is parked temporarily.

(h) Any person convicted of violating this section shall be punished as set forth in section 20-19 of this article. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate violation.

(Ord. No. 89-124, § 1, 5-30-89; Ord. No. 91-174, § 1, 9-11-91; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97; Ord. No. 99O-3-114, § 1, 3-29-99; Ord. No. 03O-06-155, § 1, 6-30-03)

The county clerk's office is hereby authorized to accept a minimum of twenty dollars ($20.00) for uncontested parking citations, unless provided otherwise in the specific section of this chapter.

(Ord. No. 92-116, § 1, 3-9-92; Ord. No. 95-109, § 1, 2-13-95; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97)

(a) Commercial vehicles which are not regularly used by a tenant or property owner located on the property, or which do not have immediate business with a tenant or owner of the property, shall not park on any property which is zoned C-2, C-3, C-4, CO-1, or I-1.

(b) Any commercial vehicle which shall be parked on property zoned C-2, C-3, C-4, CO-1, or I-1 between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 a.m. shall not park within three hundred (300) feet of residentially zoned property.

(Ord. No. 92-146, § 1, 7-13-92; Ord. No. 970-111, § 1, 4-28-97)

(a) Any commercial vehicle that has been cited for one (1) violation of section 20-18 or 20-26 may be towed, upon second or subsequent violation, by a licensed towing company to the place where that towing company normally stores vehicles. All charges assessed by the towing company shall be paid by the owner or operator of the commercial vehicle. Upon issuance of the first parking citation, a written notice shall be placed upon the commercial vehicle, which shall state as follows:

"THIS VEHICLE IS IN VIOLATION OF LAUDERHILL CITY CODE SECTION ________. IF THIS VEHICLE SHALL LATER BE FOUND IN VIOLATION OF LAUDERHILL CITY CODE 20-18 OR 20-26, IT SHALL BE TOWED BY (Provide name of towing company) TO THE STORAGE FACILITY UTILIZED BY THAT TOWING COMPANY AT (Provide address of storage facility). ALL COSTS OF TOWING AND STORAGE SHALL BE PAID BY THE OWNER OR OPERATOR OF THE VEHICLE. DATE: _________ TIME: ________."

(b) If a commercial vehicle has been cited three (3) or more times for violation of section 20-18 or 20-26, a notice to appear shall be issued to the violator and proceedings against such repeat violator shall be initiated in county court to have the vehicle towed or immobilized for a period not to exceed twenty (20) days.