Parking in the City of Galveston varies depending on the area of town that you are in. There is hourly, or annually, paid parking in two areas - Downtown and the Seawall. In certain residential areas, residents are required to register for a free parking permit and will be given visitor passes for guests. In other areas, the only enforcement for parking will be to ensure that residents and visitors alike are following the city's code of ordinances and state law.
Please note, the City will only accept up to $5 in loose change when making payments to the water department and the municipal court.
Where can we find more information?
The following are helpful links o the areas of the website that address parking.
- Downtown Parking
- Seawall Parking
- Residential Parking
Who is exempt from parking fees?
Owners of vehicles displaying handicap tags or placard's as well as Disabled Veteran's which includes:
- Congressional Medal of Honor, Former Prisoner of War,
- Pearl Harbor Survivor,
- Purple Heart Recipient,
- Legion of Valor (Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, Army Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross or Medal of Honor) or
- Legion of Merit License Plates
are exempt from the payment of parking fees, including a fee collected through a parking meter, charged by a governmental authority other than a branch of the federal government. These vehicles are only exempt from the parking fees if they are being operated by or for the transportation of the person who registered the vehicle with the above mentioned license plates. In an !ttorney eneral’s pinion o/ -1291, vehicles displaying Disabled Veteran License Plates must not be parked at meters longer than the maximum indicated time on the meters if there is a restriction against parking at a meter in excess of that time. However, this restriction does not apply if the vehicle also displays a Disabled Parking Placard. Texas law allows parking placards to be removed and displayed in any vehicle used for transportation of a person with a disability. People with disabilities can apply for placards even if they do not own a car.
What is the law?
The city ordinance that speaks to parking in the City of Galveston can be found here. As it particularly relates to blocking or and monopolizing passageways and parking areas the following ordinance is the basis for citations:
Sec. 34-116. - Passageways and parking area; blocking and monopolizing.
(a) Obstructing; deemed unlawful. It shall be unlawful for any person to obstruct the sidewalk, roadway of any public street or alley by monopolizing the space provided for pedestrian or vehicular travel or the parking of vehicles.
(b)Acts construed as violations:
(1) Parking a vehicle on a sidewalk or in such other manner as to obstruct a pedestrian walkway shall constitute a violation of this section;
(2) Leaving a vehicle in the same position for more than forty-eight (48) hours shall constitute a violation of this section;
(3) Parking or to leave standing a truck or other commercial vehicle with more than two (2) axles or which vehicle has a manufacturer's gross vehicle rating of ten thousand (10,000) pounds or more on any street or alley within any residential district, as defined by the zoning ordinance, within the corporate limits of the city during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or at any place where the vehicle would block the use of a driveway shall constitute a violation of this section.
(c) Exception. Subsection (b)(1) hereof shall not apply to the eight (8) foot strip north of and adjacent to the north curb of Avenue G between 41st Street and 43rd Street. Parking on the eight (8) foot strip adjacent to the north curb of Avenue G between 41st Street and 43rd Street shall be permitted.
Subsection (b)(3) hereof shall not apply to such trucks parked for the purpose of loading or unloading or for the purpose of making emergency repairs.
(Ord. No. 82-72, § 1, September 16, 1982; Ord. No. 89-21, § 2, February 9, 1989)
Cross reference—Removal of obstructions from streets, alleys, sidewalks,§ 32-8.
Read the state law that speaks to the same offense.
Texas Penal Code § 42.03. Obstructing Highway or Other Passageway
(a) A person commits an offense if, without legal privilege or authority, he intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly:
(1) obstructs a highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, elevator, aisle, hallway, entrance, or exit to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access, or any other place used for the passage of persons, vehicles, or conveyances, regardless of the means of creating the obstruction and whether the obstruction arises from his acts alone or from his acts and the acts of others; or
(2) disobeys a reasonable request or order to move issued by a person the actor knows to be or is informed is a peace officer, a fireman, or a person with authority to control the use of the premises:
(A) to prevent obstruction of a highway or any of those areas mentioned in Subdivision (1); or
(B) to maintain public safety by dispersing those gathered in dangerous proximity to a fire, riot, or other hazard.
(b) For purposes of this section, “obstruct” means to render impassable or to render passage unreasonably inconvenient or hazardous.
(c) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.
