Parking Enforcement Officers Cannot Park in a Red Zone While Going to Lunch

But they sometimes do it anyway. Seen here on Spring Street in downtown last week, two parking enforcement officers sharing a car parked 18 or so inches into a red zone while they took a lunch break. Every employee deserves a mid-shift break, but does it include parking the way you want to? If any regular citizen had parked like that, it's likely a ticket would have been handed out. Curious to see if this was allowed or not, LAist contacted the L.A. Department of Transportation.

Luz Echavarria, a LADOT public information officer, explained that there are indeed rules for officers to follow. "According to the LADOT Parking Enforcement Policy for the Use of City Vehicles while conducting routine business, it states, that any government vehicle with E plates while in use for the routine business are granted a courtesy exemption from posted parking restrictions, (provided the vehicle is properly identified) such as Parking meters (coins in meters), Time Limit Parking - (1 hr.,2 hr,etc), Preferential Parking Districts," she said in an e-mail. "No Parking Zones, Alleys (No Parking) and Commercial Loading Zones (Yellow Zones) Exempted for a maximum of 30 minutes."

Just to be clear, you can't go do other non-city business and park in a red zone with a parking enforcement vehicle, right? "'Other non-City business' such as picking up laundry, etc. does not permit anyone to 'park' at a red curb zone," clarified Bruce Gillman, another LADOT spokesperson.

And what about parking in red zones while conducting routine business? "No exemption while on routine business will be granted for parking at Red Curb at any time," Echavarria added.