Residents may not be aware that it is illegal to re-feed a parking meter in most jurisdictions in the country, including Montgomery County.  These prohibitions exist to assist the business community by increasing the supply of parking spaces available for their customers.  For example, during an eight hour period, four different patrons will be able to park in front of a business with a two-hour meter, as opposed to potentially one long-term parker.

To avoid being ticketed, those who park at meters should never re-feed the same meter to get more parking time.  If an on-street meter expires, a car must move to another block.  If a car is parked in the 800 block of a street for example, the car cannot park in another parking space on that block (including across the street)--any address within the 800 address block.  

For parking meters in lots and garages, the entire lot and garage are considered part of the limit, so a vehicle cannot just move to another space with the same duration parking meter within that facility.  If a person parks at a two-hour space in a garage, they can always move to a 15-hour space once their time is up.  They are not required to leave the facility, but they cannot move to a new two-hour space without risking a parking ticket.

For more information on parking rates and regulations, go to the Division of Parking Management's website or call 240.777.6000.

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