(a) No person shall stop, stand, or park a motor vehicle in a parking space on either public or private streets or public or private parking lots which are designated for handicapped parking and designated in accordance with subsection (e) or (f) unless the motor vehicle being operated by or for the transport of a handicapped person is displaying a removable windshield placard or special license plate.
(b) Any motor vehicle that is parked in a special marked parking location in violation of subsection (a) of this section may be towed or otherwise removed from the parking location by the Police Department. A motor vehicle that is so towed or removed shall not be released to its owner until the owner presents proof of ownership of the motor vehicle and pays all towing and storage fees normally imposed by the Municipality for towing and storing motor vehicles. If the motor vehicle is a leased vehicle, it shall not be released to the lessee until the lessee presents proof that that person is the lessee of the motor vehicle and pays all towing and storage fees normally imposed by the Municipality for towing and storing motor vehicles.
(c) When a motor vehicle is being operated by or for the transport of a handicapped person and is displaying a removable windshield placard or special license plate, the motor vehicle is permitted to park for a period in excess of the legal parking period permitted by local authorities.
(d) As used in this section “Special license plates” and “removable windshield placard” mean any license plates or removal placard or temporary removable windshield placard issued under Ohio R.C. 4503.41 or 4503.44, and also mean any substantially similar license plates or removable windshield placard issued by a state, district, county or sovereignty.
(e) Street Parking Signage. All handicapped spaces on public or private streets shall comply with the Uniform Traffic Control Manual adopted by ORC 4511.09.
(f) Off Street Parking Signage. All handicapped spaces, whether public or privately owned, off street shall comply with ORC 3781.11.1.
(g) The Service-Safety Director is hereby authorized and directed to implement a program to install “Handicapped Parking Only” signs in order to reserve parking spaces before the residences of handicapped residences of Lancaster.
(1) A “handicapped person”, eligible to apply for a special reserved parking space in front of their residence, means a resident of the household who obtained special license plates or removable windshield placard issued under ORC 4503.41 or 4503.44.
(2) The application for installation of a “Handicapped Parking Only” reserved parking sign shall be accompanied by a signed statement from the applicant’s personal physician certifying the handicapped condition.
(3) The application for the “Handicapped Parking Only” reserved parking sign shall be renewed every year to assure that the applicant continues to meet the requirements to qualify for this special parking privilege.
(4) The Service-Safety Director shall establish a protocol for issuance, revocation, and denial of said spaces.
(h) Whoever violates this section shall be guilty of a minor misdemeanor and shall be fined not less than two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00). An offender who violates this section shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) if the offender, prior to sentencing proves at the time of the violation of this section, the offender or the person for whose transport the motor vehicle was being operated had been issued a removable windshield placard that then was valid but the offender or the person neglected to display the placard or license plate as described in this section.
(Ord. 85-05. Passed 12-12-05.)