Parking in Maple Hills
Since public roadways are just that, "public," no one has the right to reserve spaces in front of his or her house. You cannot legally stop your neighbor from parking in front of your house, but it is inconsiderate. So, what to do? Try kindly asking them to stop parking there. If communication doesn’t work, try filing a nuisance complaint or police report (consider using the SeeClickFix app).
Before you do that, however, first become familiar with local laws and HOA rules.
The State of Washington and City of Covington maintain ordinances that are equally, and fairly, applied to all residents while also working to keep the city’s streets looking pleasant. Vehicle parking is by far the biggest generator of complaints the City of Covington receives. Aesthetics played the biggest part in the development of ordinances. Other issues included environmental hazards from cars parked on the grass or leaking into local drains, and safety issues when drivers’ views are blocked by cars parked near corners. The city is not in the habit of sending out code enforcement officers to find issues, but will regulate based off residents’ complaints.
State and city codes provide details about parking in front of or near driveways, fire hydrants, crosswalks, signals or traffic signs, as well as in front of mailboxes. They explicitly state to not park extra wide vehicles between 10 pm and 6 am, nor park nuisance vehicles in plain sight. We are prohibited from parking on the grass or parking more than 6 vehicles at our properties. They are also clear about not parking recreational vehicles for a long time unless loading and unloading.
Our own Maple Hills HOA CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions) and the Rules and Regulations elaborate on the storage of goods, vehicles, boats, trailers, trucks, campers, recreational vehicles or other equipment, including parking any vehicle on the street for longer than 48 hours.
In addition to knowing the HOA CC&Rs, it would be good for us all to be familiar with the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and Covington Municipal Code (CMC) regarding parking and storage of vehicles. Please be considerate of your neighbors and avoid parking in front of their houses.
