West Hollywood City To Implement Digital ‘Permit-By-Plate’ Technology For Visitor Parking Permits

Press release from the City of West Hollywood:

December 28, 2020

The City of West Hollywood’s Parking Services Division will launch a new digital “Permit-by-Plate” system for visitor parking permits so residents can skip a trip to the parking office at the Kings Road Garage. Instead, residents will be able to register for visitor parking permits through the web by using a computer or mobile device and visiting www.weho.org/parking. The new system establishes a safe and ‘touchless’ method for visitor parking permits as the City continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City’s Permit-by-Plate system is scheduled to begin operating on Monday, January 4, 2021.Residents who prefer to register and pick-up visitor parking hangtags in person at the Kings Road Garage may still do so. Hangtag permits will no longer be issued at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station effective Monday, February 1, 2021; Kings Road Garage will continue to provide hangtags. This is the City’s next step in moving to a more efficient and convenient permit process.

“The City of West Hollywood’s Permit-by-Plate program is a great example of how technology can help save time and energy for residents and make things safer for everyone as we all seek ways to maintain social distance during COVID-19,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath. “Instead of stopping by Kings Road Garage to pick up visitor parking permits, the City’s new technology will provide digital access for West Hollywood residents to apply for visitor parking permits online quickly and easily from anywhere.”

The City of West Hollywood’s Permit-by-Plate program will add new convenience to the process of applying for visitor parking permits, which allow guests to park near a West Hollywood resident’s home within a preferential parking district. Preferential parking districts are residential areas with streets or boundaries where parking restrictions require vehicles to display a valid permit to park during certain hours. Visitor parking permits are valid for a one-day period and can be registered up to five days in advance using a vehicle’s license plate.

Parking enforcement officers will use license plate reader technology via cameras mounted on enforcement vehicles to scan plates to determine whether parked cars have the appropriate permit on file. Handheld devices carried by parking enforcement officers will also have the capability of validating a license plate. This new process eliminates the need for physical visitor parking permit hangtags. Visitor parking permits are issued free of charge and are intended for residents to accommodate friends, relatives, and guests for specific and occasional events.

West Hollywood residents will be able to use the new Permit-by-Plate program by visiting www.weho.org/parking from a computer or mobile device and clicking on the visitor parking permit link. Users will be redirected to a web-based application process and will be asked to provide a West Hollywood street address to be verified for permit eligibility. This verification process will require an uploaded image or PDF document with proof of residency, such as an identification card, driver license, property tax bill, signed rental lease, or utility bill.

Once approved, residents can manage visitor parking permits using the self-service web area to request additional permits, assign vehicles to permits, and review available visitor permit points. The Permit-by-Plate process is being implemented to supplement to the existing process of in-person permit registration and online process for permit renewals. Once an account is set-up and a resident orders visitor permits electronically, they will no longer be able to obtain paper permits.

The City’s Permit-by-Plate program is built on technology from Conduent, Inc., the world’s largest business process services company, which works to modernize constituent experiences by making every interaction digital, personalized, and secure.

The City of West Hollywood’s Parking Services Division facilitates more than 1,000 spaces of vehicle parking in more than one dozen structures and surface lots located throughout the City’s 1.9-square-mile area and oversees metered parking along commercial corridors, three commercial parking districts where employers have the option of purchasing commercial parking passes for their employees, and parking enforcement within 11 preferential parking districts in residential zones where residents can register for visitor parking permits.

For additional information about the City of West Hollywood’s Parking Services Division and Permit-by-Plate program please visit www.weho.org/parking.

For more information, please contact Vince Guarino, City of West Hollywood Parking Services Manager, at (323) 848-6426. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

The City of West Hollywood has declared a local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Individuals are advised, at this time, to stay at home as much as possible and limit close interactions to those in your household. When in public for essential needs, community members should maintain your space with social (physical) distancing of at least six feet, and cover your face. Public Health officials recommend that everyone continue to follow physical distancing and infection control directives and wear a clean face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in in public. Additionally, people 65 years old or older and all people of any age with underlying health conditions should remain at home whenever possible; people in these categories should only leave their residences to seek medical care, exercise, or obtain food or other necessities.

West Hollywood City Hall is currently closed to the public and has suspended all in-person transactions. Most public City buildings and facilities remain closed. City Hall remains accessible for business and essential services with transactions to be conducted by phone (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org.

City of West Hollywood coronavirus updates are available at www.weho.org/coronavirus and the City encourages community members to follow @wehocity on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and turn on notifications. Sign up for news updates at www.weho.org/email and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.

This press release was produced by the City of West Hollywood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.