Two new part-time city employees will begin monitoring downtown Georgetown’s three-hour parking ordinance this month in an effort to increase the number of available street parking spaces near businesses and municipal offices in the city’s historic Square, according to a news release from the city.
The employees, known as “parking ambassadors,” are expected to start in mid-March, according to the city. The ambassadors will serve dual roles by enforcing the city’s downtown parking rules while also directing residents and visitors to free parking lots as well as downtown restaurants, shops and other locations.
Georgetown’s downtown parking ordinance limits on-street parking in certain locations to no more than three hours at a time between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. A violation can result in a warning following by a $20 fine for a second offense and $50 for a third offense. Violators who continue to overstay their parking spots after three offenses can draw $100 fines for each additional offense of the ordinance, according to the city.
Parking spaces subject to the three-hour limit are marked with signage.
Several free parking lots, which do not have a three-hour parking limit, are available downtown at:
- 10th and Main streets
- Sixth and Main streets
- Seventh and Rock streets
- Austin Avenue and Fifth Street
- Martin Luther King Jr. and Seventh streets
- Martin Luther King Jr. and Eighth streets
A four-story parking garage, owned by Williamson County, is located at Fourth and Rock streets. Vehicles in the garage are not subject to a three-hour limit.
The three-hour parking limit does not apply to parking spaces reserved for people with handicapped-accessible parking permits. People who live in the city’s downtown zone can apply for a residential parking permit, according to the city.
Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly reported a four-story parking garage at Fourth and Rock streets is maintained by the city of Georgetown. The parking garage is owned by Williamson County.
