District of Columbia Code
Chapter 25A - Performance Parking Zones
§ 50–2531. Performance Parking Zones

(a) The Mayor may establish Performance Parking Zones for the purpose of managing curbside parking and reducing congestion citywide.
(b) The Mayor shall establish zone-specific parking management targets, and implement regulations, to achieve the following goals:
(1) Protect resident parking in residential zones;
(2) Facilitate regular parking turnover in busy commercial areas;
(3) Promote the use of non-auto transportation; and
(4) Decrease vehicular congestion within each zone.
(c) The Mayor may designate residential permit parking zones on currently undesignated residential blocks.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, the Mayor may employ the following to achieve the goals and targets established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section:
(1) Set or adjust curbside parking fees;
(2) Set or adjust the days and hours during which curbside parking fees apply;
(3) Adjust parking fines, as needed, to dissuade illegal parking;
(4) Exempt vehicles displaying valid, in-zone residential permit parking stickers from meter payment, as needed; and
(5) Set temporary heightened curbside parking fees in anticipation of special events in or around a performance parking zone that may significantly increase demand for parking, including sporting events, festivals, parades, and concerts; provided, that the heightened fees shall begin no sooner than 12:00 a.m. the day the special event begins and end no later than 11:59 p.m. on the day the special event concludes; provided further, that the Mayor shall provide 7-days'notice of the temporary heightened curbside parking fees and their exact duration, which may be withdrawn if circumstances change, to the affected Ward Councilmember, the affected Advisory Neighborhood Commission, and to the public via posts online and signage in the performance parking zone.
(e) When changing curbside parking fees, other than temporary heightened curbside parking fees as described in subsection (d)(5) of this section, the Mayor shall:
(1) Monitor curbside parking availability rates on commercial streets to establish a need for any fee increase;
(2) Except for fees in loading zones, not increase any fee more than 2 times per month, unless the Mayor elects to change the fees in real time based on demand;
(2A) Except for fees in loading zones, not increase fees by more than $5 in a 3-month period; and
(3) Except for fees in loading zones and temporary heightened curbside parking fees as described in subsection (d)(5) of this section, provide notice to the affected Ward Councilmember and Advisory Neighborhood Commission (“ANC”) of any changes in curbside parking fees at least 10 days before implementation.
(f) Curbside signage, meter decals, electronic displays, and information on applications the District government or uses to enable electronic payment for parking shall provide sufficient notice of changes to restrictions.
(g) The Mayor shall designate a project manager who will serve as the main point of contact for the public on matters related to each performance parking zone.
(h) The Mayor shall publish a public website that includes the following: performance parking zone boundaries, rules or regulations, information about how to use new parking fee technologies, data on curbside usage broken down by location and time of day for each performance parking zone, if technically feasible, and contact information for the project management team.
(i) Repealed.
(Nov. 25, 2008, D.C. Law 17-279, § 2, 55 DCR 11059; Sept. 14, 2011, D.C. Law 19-21, § 6083(a), 58 DCR 6226; Sept. 20, 2012, D.C. Law 19-168, § 6042(a), 59 DCR 8025; Oct. 22, 2015, D.C. Law 21-36, § 6002(a), 62 DCR 10905; Mar. 15, 2021, D.C. Law 23-230, § 101(a), 68 DCR 001122.)
This section is referenced in § 50-2532, § 50-2532.01, and § 50-2533.
D.C. Law 19-21 repealed subsec. (i), which had read as follows: “(i) The Performance Parking Pilot Program shall terminate 2 years from November 25, 2008.”
The 2012 amendment by D.C. Law 19-168 rewrote the section heading, which formerly read: “Performance Parking Pilot Program”; in (a), substituted “Performance Parking Zones” for “a Performance Parking Pilot Program” and “citywide” for “within and around established performance parking pilot zones”; deleted “performance parking pilot zone” following “achieve the following” in the introductory language of (b); substituted “The Mayor may” for “Within each performance parking pilot zone, the Mayor shall” in (c); deleted “Within each performance parking pilot zone, and” at the beginning of the introductory language of (d); in the introductory language of (e), substituted “changing” for “increasing” and deleted “within a performance parking pilot zone” following “parking fees”; deleted “within a performance parking pilot zone, except for changes to curbside parking fees pursuant to subsection (d)(1) of this section” at the end of (f); deleted “pilot” following “performance parking” in (g); and in (h), substituted “performance parking zone” for “pilot zone” and deleted “parking pilot” preceding “project manager’s.”
The 2015 amendment by D.C. Law 21-36 added “provided, that the Mayor may increase fees in performance parking zones by a maximum of $ 1.50 in a 3-month period, in any increment or time period, up to a maximum hourly rate of $ 8.00 per hour” in (e)(2).
For temporary (90 days) prohibition on buses operating or parking on certain streets near Southwest Waterfront Park, see § 2 of Southwest Waterfront Park Bus Prohibition Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2018 (D.C. Act 22-483, Oct. 22, 2018, 65 DCR12036).
For temporary (90 days) Southwest Waterfront Park bus prohibition , see § 2 of Southwest Waterfront Park Bus Prohibition Emergency Act of 2018 (D.C. Act 22-419, July 19, 2018, 65 DCR 7693).
For temporary (90 days) Southwest Waterfront Park bus prohibition , see § 2 of Southwest Waterfront Park Bus Prohibition Emergency Act of 2017 (D.C. Act 22-183, Nov. 22, 2017, 64 DCR 12298).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section § 2(i) of D.C. Law 17-279, see § 2 of Performance Parking Extension Emergency Amendment Act of 2010 (D.C. Act 18-603, November 17, 2010, 57 DCR 11046).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Performance Parking Extension Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2011 (D.C. Act 19-9, February 11, 2011, 58 DCR 1427).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 6002(a) of the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2015 (D.C. Act 21-127, July 27, 2015, 62 DCR 10201).
For temporary (225 days) Southwest Waterfront Park bus prohibition, see § 2 of Southwest Waterfront Park Bus Prohibition Temporary Act of 2018 (D.C. Law 22-173, Oct. 30, 2018, 65 DCR 9542).
For temporary (225 days) Southwest Waterfront Park bus prohibition, see § 2 of Southwest Waterfront Park Bus Prohibition Temporary Act of 2017 (D.C. Law 22-54, Jan. 27, 2018, 64 DCR 12557).
Section 2 of D.C. Law 18-305 repealed subsec. (i).
Section 4(b) of D.C. Law 18-305 provides that the act shall expire after 225 days of its having taken effect.
Sections 2 and 3 of D.C. Law 18-302 added sections to read as follows:
“Sec. 2. Ward 1 Enhanced Residential Parking Program.
“(a) There is established a Ward 1 Enhanced Residential Parking Program (‘Program’). Any Ward 1 Advisory Neighborhood Commission (‘ANC’) may, by resolution of that ANC, vote to include blocks within the ANC in the Program. The Program will consist of the following requirements:
“(1) Any block that participates in the residential permit parking in Ward 1 shall have at least 50% of the legal residential parking spaces on that block designated as Zone 1 Permitted Parking Only;
“(2) A visitor parking pass program shall be available to residents similar to the program in Mount Pleasant required by section 8 of the Performance Parking Pilot Zone Act of 2010, effective November 25, 2008 (D.C. Law 17-279; D.C. Official Code § 50-2537); and
“(3) Any resident owning a vehicle registered at an address on a Ward 1 residential block may be granted a Zone 1 residential parking sticker, in accordance with the process developed by the Mayor pursuant to section 3.
“(b) Blocks within a streetscape construction project impact zone, as designated by the Mayor, shall be excluded from the Program until the Mayor declares that all major construction associated with the streetscape has been completed.
“Sec. 3. Rules.
“(a) Within 90 days of the effective date of this act, the Mayor, pursuant to Title 1 of the District of Columbia Administrative Procedure Act, approved October 21, 1968 (82 Stat. 1204; D.C. Official Code § 2-501 et seq.), shall issue rules to implement the provisions of this act. The proposed rules shall be submitted to the Council for a 30-day period of review, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays, and days of Council recess. If the Council does not approve or disapprove the rules, in whole or in part, by resolution, within this 30-day review period, the proposed rules shall be deemed approved.
“(b) The rules submitted to the Council shall address the following:
“(1) The application of the requirements of section 2 to streets that are on the boundary of Ward 1;
“(2) The application of the requirements of section 2 to streets that are on the boundary of an ANC;
“(3) The definition of streetscape construction project impact zones as referenced in section 2(b);
“(4) The process for receiving a visitor pass and the hours for the visitor pass programs; and
“(5) The eligibility requirements for who may receive the permit referenced in section 2(a)(3).”
Section 5(b) of D.C. Law 18-302 provided that the act shall expire after 225 days of its having taken effect.
Delegation of Authority Performance—Parking Pilot Zone Emergency Act of 2008, see Mayor’s Order 2008-56, March 28, 2008 ( 55 DCR 5507).