Drivers reminded alternate side parking rules in effect

The City of Whitefish is reminding drivers that alternate side parking rules are now in effect in the city.

Alternate side parking runs from Oct. 1 through April 30. The rule requires vehicles to park on alternative sides of the street depending on the date.

The parking rules are designed to assist in street cleaning in the fall and snow removal during the winter months.

Cars are required to park on the even house-numbered sides of the street on even number calendar days, and the odd house-numbered sides of the street on odd number calendar days between the hours of 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Alternate side parking begins at 5 a.m. every morning regardless of whether it snows or not. Therefore, you should plan to park or move your vehicle after 5 p.m. each day to the side of the road where it will be OK to park the following day.

For example, if a person parks at 6 p.m. on Dec. 3 and does not plan to move the vehicle until the next morning, the person would park on the even side of the street because it will be Dec. 4 after 5 a.m. and the alternate-side parking will go into effect before the person plans to move the vehicle.

The parking rules do not apply to streets where alternate-side parking is not available, such as cul-de-sacs, or a street where no parking is allowed on one or both sides of the street or streets with angled parking.

In the downtown area there is no parking from 2:30 a.m. to 6 a.m.

Under city ordinance, any vehicle parked where it’s not allowed can be towed at the owner’s expense. Vehicles will only be towed after multiple citations or after a significant snowfall, the city says.