Session Laws

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. The city council of the city of Northampton is hereby authorized to enact ordinances which shall establish one or more parking districts within said city in which parking on public ways shall be restricted to residents only. Said residents only parking districts shall be created in areas of high population concentration where the proximity of public, educational, religious or health facilities make the parking of vehicles by parties other than residents common, convenient and consistent. Factors such as the lack of off-street parking, width and grade of a street and concentration of multi-unit buildings shall be considered in determining areas where parking shall be so restricted to residents only.

SECTION 2. Any such ordinance may (1) designate one or more districts in which resident only parking shall be in effect; (2) authorize the issuance of permits, stickers, placards or other means of identification of resident vehicles, including an application process for the same; (3) set fees for said permits and fines for violations of residents only district parking regulations; (4) include provisions for visitor parking, delivery vehicles, service and repair vehicles and other temporary parking categories; (5) describe signage and other methods of identifying residents only parking districts; (6) designate hours and dates when residents only parking will be effective; and (7), address such other administrative or enforcement issues as the city council may deem necessary. Any such ordinance may delegate all the powers enumerated above except that contained in clause (1) to a board, committee or officer of the city of Northampton.

SECTION 3. Any such ordinance shall provide that the city council shall refer any ordinance restricting parking on a public way, or any portion thereof, to the planning board, the board of public works, the parking commission and the city council committee under whose jurisdiction parking issues have been placed. No such ordinance shall be enacted until each of the above entities has filed a recommendation with the city council or forty-five days have elapsed since the referral by the council.

SECTION 4. No ordinance shall be adopted until a public hearing has been held by the city council or a committee thereof. Notice of such hearing shall be posted in a public place and published in a newspaper of general circulation in the city at least twice in two separate weeks, the first of which shall be not less than fourteen days before the scheduled date of such hearing. Actual notice shall be given by certified mail to all owners of property, as shown on the latest assessors' records, abutting the portion of a public way for which said residents only parking restriction will be effective. If the city council is presented with a petition signed by fifty percent or more of such property owners, a two-thirds majority shall be required to enact the proposed ordinance.

SECTION 5. For the purposes of this act, a motor vehicle qualifying for resident status permitting parking in an area restricted to residents only parking by an ordinance enacted hereunder shall be registered under chapter ninety of the General Laws as principally garaged in the city of Northampton and owned or used by a person residing in said area. Nothing herein shall be construed to authorize the assignment of a specific space to any person or vehicle nor shall any ordinance enacted hereunder supersede any statute related to handicapped parking.