City Code, ExplainedBetaPardon our dust while we build this out — expect some changes along the way.

This chapter governs traffic control, parking (including meters and the parking app), vehicle towing/impoundment, and use of certain city bridges and the bike path.

Who this affects

Anyone who drives, parks, or operates a vehicle within the City of Pottsville, including residents who park on city streets or in metered zones and vehicle owners whose cars are towed or impounded.

Key rules

• The Chief of Police must recommend Traffic Control Map changes to Council at least every ninety (90) days, though Council can amend the maps at any time.
• The Mayor may establish temporary traffic regulations by executive order for up to ninety (90) days, subject to written notice to Council.
• No person shall fail to comply with a lawful order, signal, or direction of a police officer, or with official traffic equipment.
• No person shall deface, damage, move, obstruct, destroy, or alter any traffic control device, or deface/discard a traffic ticket or summons.
• Except for passenger automobiles, station wagons, motorcycles, and bicycles, vehicular traffic is prohibited on the Mauch Chunk Street Bridge; all vehicles are prohibited from stopping or parking there and are limited to ten (10) miles per hour.
• Motor vehicles and vehicle traffic are prohibited on the bike path from the JFK Pool Complex to Woodglen Road, and stopping or parking on the bike path is prohibited.
• Parking is prohibited in numerous locations, including intersections, crosswalks/sidewalks, within twenty-five (25) feet of intersection curblines, within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant or fire station entrance, in front of private driveways, within fifty (50) feet of railroad crossings, in bus stops or taxi stands, in front of theaters or churches, on private property without permission, where signs prohibit it, and in handicapped parking zones.
• No vehicle may be parked or stored on any street or alley continuously for more than ten (10) days, though owners may request a ten-day extension for reasonable cause.
• No boat, trailer, or other nonmotorized vehicle may be parked on a street for longer than 48 hours; moving and reparking on the same block face within 24 hours still counts as continuous parking.
• Vehicles may not be parked within three feet of either bumper of another legally parked vehicle.
• Vehicles must park parallel to the curb, with wheels within twelve (12) inches of the curb (or shoulder edge if no curb), on both two-way and one-way highways.
• No tractor-trailer, semitractor, or semitrailer may be parked on any city street for any length of time, except short-term loading/unloading.
• Vehicles may not stand on a street or sidewalk for washing, greasing, or repair work except in emergencies, nor be displayed/advertised for sale, nor used to sell goods while parked.
• Where signs are posted, vehicles may not be parked longer than 30 minutes between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
• The registered owner of a vehicle is presumed to have parked it and is responsible for it at the time of a violation.
• Parking meter zones and parking app zones are exempt from parking rules on Saturdays, Sundays, and listed holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas).
• Between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., vehicles parked in a meter or parking-app zone must have the proper coin deposited or the parking app used for the space.
• It is prohibited to deposit a coin or use the app to extend parking beyond the legal time limit, to use counterfeit/slug coins, or to tamper with, injure, or break a parking meter.
• The Chief of Police may remove and impound vehicles parked in violation of city ordinances; approved storage garages must be licensed by the Commonwealth and provide a certificate of insurance.
• Notice of an impounded vehicle must be sent to the owner of record within twelve (12) hours (Article VIII) or within 10 days (Article X), depending on the article.
• A vehicle is presumed abandoned if physically inoperable and unattended on a highway or public property for more than 48 hours, illegally on public property for more than 48 hours, missing valid registration/inspection/VIN while unattended for more than 48 hours, or on private property without consent for more than 48 hours.
• A vehicle parked on a public street may be towed if it has five or more delinquent parking tickets issued within a sixty-day period and a delinquency notice has been sent after the fifth ticket.
• Notices under § 210-59 must be given in both Spanish and English.
• No vehicle may be removed for towing if the owner or person in charge is present at the time and expresses willingness to remove it immediately.
• Bona fide residents in designated residential meter parking areas may purchase stickers allowing their vehicles to park in the meter zone without operating the meters, under rules set by the Parking Authority.

Penalties

General violations of this chapter carry a fine of not more than $50 and costs, with imprisonment of not more than 10 days in default of payment (§ 210-15). Bike path violations carry a fine of not more than $1,000, with imprisonment of not more than 90 days in default of payment (§ 210-17D). Stopping/parking violations (§§ 210-18 through 210-24) carry a fine of not more than $35, except § 210-18M (handicapped parking zones) which carries a fine of not more than $75; imprisonment of not more than 10 days applies in default of payment, and tickets may be paid within 10 days to police headquarters to avoid a summons (§ 210-26). Parking meter/app violations (Article VII) carry a fine of not more than $15, with imprisonment of not more than 10 days in default of payment (§ 210-40).

Notable and archaic details

• The chapter still defines and regulates coin-operated parking meters alongside a modern "parking app" payment method, added by amendment in 2020.
• Vehicles are barred entirely from the Mauch Chunk Street Bridge to Bacon Street in the Borough of Palo Alto, except passenger cars, station wagons, motorcycles, and bicycles, with a 10 mph speed limit for those that may cross.
• Immobilization/impoundment notices under § 210-59 must be provided in both Spanish and English.
• Tractor-trailers and semitrailers are banned from parking on any city street at all, aside from brief loading/unloading.