Drivers who fail to pay old parking tickets face being towed away just days ahead of major events in US city

CITY officials are trying to make room for droves of vehicles set to take public parking ahead of three major downtown events.

Police are looking for drivers with several unpaid parking tickets ahead of a big weekendCredit: Fox 8Obie Shelton, a spokesperson for the city, said drivers with at least five tickets must pay upCredit: Fox 8

Cleveland, Ohio, is expecting hordes of drivers to descend on its downtown for the Women’s Final Four NCAA basketball games, the Guardian's home opener, and the upcoming total solar eclipse.

The NCAA basketball games have drawn historic numbers of viewers and are scheduled to play from April 5 through the 7th.

The Guardian's home opener and the eclipse are on April 8.

Cleveland officials said they will be looking to tow cars that have yet to pay old parking fines to make room for the number of vehicles heading downtown for the events, according to local Fox affiliate WJW.

But drivers can avoid parking ticket-based tows if they pay their outstanding fines.

"It’s five tickets, and it goes back over time," Obie Shelton, a spokesperson for Cleveland's Clerk's office, said to the station.

"A lot of people will accumulate tickets. Hopefully, people will settle their outstanding parking tickets."

Drivers have racked up millions in dollars in unpaid parking fines in the city, according to the TV station.

Motorists owe more than $42 million from old parking fines incurred between 2000 and 2022, according to the station.

Another $2.5 million wasn't collected in 2023 alone, the highest uncollected fine total in the city's history, the station said.

Moment neighbour takes revenge on driver parking car in their space for three years - after they ignored key sign

More than half of the parking fines assigned in 2023 haven't been paid.

Car owners in the area told the station they had received letters asking for payment on more than 20-year-old tickets.

Shelton said the city has struggled to collect the fees from drivers because car owners know they can flout the rules.

"Because it’s civil, a lot of people don’t pay," Shelton said.

"So, we use everything from our notices to a collection agency, and now, this, hopefully, will prompt people to pay."

Are you covered by law to park on a public street?

Parking on a public street is generally legal, even in front of someone's house, experts say.

Unless the home is in an HOA subdivision, a apartment complex with assigned spaces, or there are posted laws against parking during certain days or hours, it is not illegal to park a vehicle in front of someone's home on a public street.

"Generally speaking, an individual citizen does not 'own' or have any ongoing exclusive right to use a parking space on a public street," wrote Nolo Legal.

"These spaces are open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis."

Most states do have rules against vehicles being parked in the same spot for 72 hours, or blocking fire hydrants, driveways, and sidewalks, as a parked vehicle in those spaces presents a safety hazard.

PARK CHANGE

City officials agreed to increase Muni parking lot prices during Browns games from $30 a day to $70 a day.

They also decided to increase the hourly rate in city lots from $3.25 an hour to $5.

"Our max rate to charge the Browns game is $30 per parker," Parking Facilities Commissioner Kim Johnson told WJW.

"Our competitors are charging $40, $50 and $60. Even if we were a well-oiled machine, our expenditures are still outweighing our revenue."

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