The District Department of Transportation recently announced that parking enforcement for ‘Red Top’ parking meters will begin on May 8. Red Top meters are reserved parking for persons with disabilities. This policy change will help ensure parking access for disabled persons while reducing fraud and abuse of disability parking placards.
Drivers who park in spaces with a Red Top meter who do not have a valid disability placard or license plate will be fined $250 . as of May 8.
Red Top parking meters can be identified by their distinctive red tops located throughout the Central Business District (CBD) of DC, which includes all of the DowntownDC BID area south of Massachusetts Avenue NW (see map below) and additional areas outside of DowntownDC. These meters have been selected based on accessibility and distribution throughout the area.
Parking at Red Top parking meters will be reserved solely for persons with disabilities who have a valid disability license plate or placard. Disabled persons parking at Red Top meters must pay the same parking rate as any other metered parking space. Red Top meters do offer extended time limits (up to four hours) for their parking sessions.
Drivers with disabled placards will no longer be able to park for free at parking meters in the CBD.
For additional information, please visit parkDC.com, where you can view DDOT’s frequently asked questions about Red Top meters.