Northwest Iowa — Winter overnight parking bans in a number of communities are set to expire soon.
Several cities in the KIWA listening area have ordinances regarding overnight parking, especially during the snow removal season. But with the coming of spring, you soon should be able to park on the street again overnight in most cases.
In Sheldon, the overnight parking ban expires April 1st. Police Chief Lyle Bolkema says that motorists are not allowed to park on any street in the city between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. from November 1st to April 1st. Violation of Sheldon’s overnight parking ban is subject to a citation that carries a $10 fine.
Sanborn’s city-wide overnight parking ban expires on March 31st. However, no parking is allowed from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., year-round, on Main Street. Violation of Sanborn’s overnight parking ban carries a $15 fine.
According to Sibley city officials, their overnight parking ban will remain in effect until April 15th. It calls for no parking on any city street between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., from November 1st through April 15th. The fine for violating Sibley’s overnight parking ban is $25.
Orange City officials say that their parking ban expires on April 1st. It says no parking is allowed on any of their city streets between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., from October 15th through April 1st. The fine for noncompliance in Orange City is $10.
There are a couple of cities in our area that don’t have an actual overnight parking ban but do have an ordinance that’s effective when snow falls. So motorists who park on the street need to keep up-to-date on the weather forecast.
Hartley City officials tell us there is no overnight parking ban in that city. However, their ordinance says that vehicles must be off the streets when snowfall begins and must remain off the streets until the streets are cleared of snow. Failure to do so will result in a $15 fine from the City of Hartley.
Rock Rapids officials say their ordinance expires on April 1st. It bans parking on all city streets and alleys from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. — but only during snow removal operations. The fine for non-compliance in Rock Rapids is $25. In addition, no overnight parking is allowed in the central business district year-round.
With that being said, even if the overnight parking ban expires for the season in your community — if we get some late-season snow, it’s always a good idea not to park overnight on the street. Your city crews that have to move the snow would appreciate not having to plow around your vehicle.
