Frequently Asked Questions


1. I noticed that some street parking signs in Washington DC show "Zone 1" or "Zone 1D" parking only. I have a simple Zone 1 sticker on my dashboard. Can I park in Zone 1D spaces?

Zone 1 permit holders can park in Zone 1, Zone 1D and Zone 1DD spots. These additional letters are mainly for restrictions that apply to visitor parking passes.

2. How do I know if I have to pay Washington D.C. excise tax?

DC does not collect an excise tax for all new vehicle registrations in the District. If you become a DC resident and purchase a vehicle from another state or from within the District, you may need to pay an excise tax that equals about 6% of the fair market value of the vehicle. For large SUVs or vans, this will be higher.

You do not need to pay DC excise tax if you present a vehicle title (even from another state) that indicates that you are the owner of the vehicle and are now simply transferring this title to DC. Note that a title that has been “signed” over to you is not sufficient. The DC DMV will ask that you return to the state holding your title and request that you re-issue a title that indicates that you are the owner. Some states (VA for example) allow you to title vehicles even if you are not resident in that state.

If you are unable to re-issue a title at the vehicle’s originating state with your name as the owner, you will be able to use the title that has been signed over to your name, but this will be viewed as a sale of a vehicle to a DC resident, therefore you’d have to pay DC excise tax.


3. What are the 2 hour parking rules in DC?

In general, when in busy areas of DC, street parking is limited to two or one hours of parking. A street sign indicates the zone that you are parked in, the time limit allowed and the times of enforcement. Two hour parking is generally enforced from 7 AM - 7 PM on Monday-Friday. The time limit is not enforced by your physical spot, but by time spent in a parking "zone". Parking zones are huge - generally the entire neighborhood, such as Georgetown, Columbia Heights, etc.

Parking is usually enforced via pedestrian ticketing officers or a moving vehicle that records license plates automatically while driving by. You are ticketed if you are found to be within the same zone for longer than the allotted time.

4. Where can I find a DC zone map?

Unfortunately, you can't. However, you may use a DC Ward map to roughly understand that parking zones in DC. [Loads very slowly]

5. I got a ROSA warning while parked in DC. What is this and what do I have to do to keep parking in DC?

According to DC law, vehicles that are located in the district for 30 days must be registered in the District. Generally, DC parking enforcement patrols the streets at night (12 AM - 6 AM) to identify vehicles that are parked in DC without DC license plates or parking permits. Since the parking zones permit overnight parking, many temporary DC residents manage to park a car in DC and don't hassle with registering their vehicle in DC. ROSA is enforced using parking enforcement vehicles that automatically scan license plates of parked vehicles. When the passing vehicle identifies a car that has been spotted within DC more than on time within 30 days, it will issue that driver a warning. Failure to secure DC tags after that date will result in a $100 fine. 

Review more Information on the DC DMV's "Registration of Out-of-State Automobiles" or ROSA program.

3 comments:

  1. there is a resident on my street he has 3 commercial vans and 5 cars , they are parked on the street is this legal? this is not a commercial district.

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  2. I have seen cars parked taking two parking spaces in lots and garages. Can they get a ticket? if so, what is the code and how much?

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  3. What are the rules for overnight parking in Zone 2 (Shaw) on a weeknight? I usually take the metro or Marc train into DC, but I am driving in next week for one night to stay with a friend so that I can be close to the office where I'm having a job interview. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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