Santa Ana to revisit residential parking permit rules

Santa Ana officials are expected to review a citywide parking study Oct. 20 and consider changes to the city’s residential parking permit program, according to Voice of OC.

The issue affects an Orange County city where staff said there are 27 permit districts and 9,000 active permits, with different rules for single-family and multi-family housing.

Voice of OC reported that Santa Ana’s residential parking permit program was approved in 1987 and now faces proposed changes after a review that began with a pilot study in 2018 and expanded citywide in 2022.

Under current rules, residents on blocks without permit parking may petition for a new district if they have support from 66% of residents in the area, according to Voice of OC. Single-family homes may receive three permits and 75 guest passes a year, while multi-family housing with 2-4 units may receive one permit per dwelling unit and no guest passes. Multi-family residences with more than four units are not eligible for a permit.

The citywide study found problems with enforcement, manual permit administration, inconsistent eligibility rules and wide differences in curbside parking use among districts, Voice of OC reported. The findings also pointed to parking congestion in denser areas and multi-family housing areas.

Consultants recommended more enforcement, license plate readers and a digital permit system tied to license plates, according to Voice of OC. They also recommended allowing up to two permits for both single-family and multi-family homes.

Other recommendations include 100 guest permits a year at $2 each, annual renewals instead of two-year permit periods and redrawing parking districts using neighborhood association boundaries as a starting point, Voice of OC reported.

The City Council delayed receiving the study report until Oct. 20 after starting its Tuesday meeting two hours late, Voice of OC reported.