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EXHIBIT 7
Draft RPP Administrative Guidelines
About This Document
These Administrative Guidelines (“Guidelines”) implement the Residential Permit Parking (RPP) program established under Santa Ana Municipal Code Article XI. Article XI provides the City's legal authority to establish permit parking districts and zones, permit caps, and fee structures by resolution of the City Council, while directing the specific operating rules for the program, including petition standards and permit display and verification requirements, to be set forth in these Guidelines.
These Guidelines are adopted and amended by the Director of Public Works (or their designee) and are made publicly available on the City’s website. This structure allows the City to update day-to-day program operations in response to changing conditions without requiring City Council action for each change, while Article XI continues to govern the program’s core legal framework.
Definitions
Single-family residence means a dwelling consisting of a single housing unit, occupied by one household.
Multi-family residence means a property containing two or more separate dwelling units, whether under common ownership (e.g., a rental complex) or individually owned (e.g., condominiums).
Resident/legal occupant means a person who resides at a property as their primary residence, whether as an owner, tenant, or other legal occupant. A non-resident property owner who does not reside at the property is not a resident or legal occupant for purposes of this section.
Owner-occupant means an owner of a residence (single-family or multi-family) who resides at that residence as their primary residence, as distinguished from a non-resident owner who does not live at the property (e.g., an owner who rents out the home).
RPP Zone Policies
• Introduce RPP zones in neighborhoods experiencing internal and/or external parking demand (such as impacts from ADUs, multi-family residences without on-site parking, commercial areas, schools, churches, and recreational facilities). The intent of the program should be to safeguard access for Santa Ana residents and their guests. • All City residents should be eligible to participate in the application process for new zones. This means all residential zoning neighborhoods should be eligible for an RPP zone, including multi-family residences (assuming the other requirements for the application, petition, and evaluation are also met).
• A zone may consist of any number of contiguous blocks with residential frontage (both sides of the street included). However, for a single block to petition, the block must have a minimum of 2 homes to qualify for permit parking, to avoid privatization of the curb space for a single household.
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• Permit parking districts and permit parking zones are distinct concepts. A district is a larger area, generally based on neighborhood boundaries, within which one or more zones may be established; designating a district does not by itself impose any parking restriction. A zone is the specific area within a district, comprising of one or more contiguous blocks, where a petition has passed and parking restrictions actually apply.
A single district may contain multiple zones, as well as areas that are not part of any zone.
RPP Zone Petitioning Policies
• Residents may submit a single interest form or petition covering multiple contiguous blocks, rather than requiring a separate process for each individual block, consistent with the precedent set by Resolution No. 2024-056.
• Require a petition for new permit zones, which is signed by 60% or more households in support of implementing the restriction. Each unit is limited to one petition. • In rental complexes, only residents/legal occupants that live within the property may sign the petition; this excludes any non-resident property owner, as they are not directly impacted by the parking problem. For multi-family properties with individually owned units, each owner-occupant may sign the petition. • In order to remove a residential parking restriction, residents should continue to be required to follow the existing petitioning process and 60% of residents should support removing the restriction for it to be considered. No parking occupancy study is needed, but notification should be given to any surrounding permit zone residents.
RPP Zone Operating Hour Policies
• Operating hour restrictions should be tied to the qualifying external impact type identified for each zone: neighboring city spillover, commercial impact, or venue impact.
• Three operating hour types are available for a zone, to be assigned based on observed parking utilization data and neighborhood needs:
o All-day restriction — for zones with impacts occurring throughout the day. o Overnight restriction — for zones with impacts concentrated during overnight hours.
o Daytime restriction — for zones with impacts concentrated during specific daytime hours (e.g., school drop-off/pick-up, business operating hours). • City staff shall determine the appropriate operating hour type for each zone at the time of establishment, based on the parking utilization data collected during the evaluation process.
Permit Policies
• Virtual License Plate Based system, where the plate is the permit • Permits are valid only within the specific district for which they are issued.
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• Permit holders can request permit transfers to another vehicle's license plate number through the PMS.
o Staff would review and verify all permit transfer requests and approve or deny them based on established eligibility criteria. Transfers may be allowed only under limited circumstances.
o Permits can be transferred to a different license plate a maximum of one (1) time per twelve (12) months. Exceptions may be made for a documented sale or total loss.
• Commercial or Oversized vehicles, as defined by the Santa Ana Municipal Code, should not be eligible to receive parking permits through the RPP program. • Every permit can be valid for 365 days upon activation and it is up to the permit holder to renew the permit through the Permit Management System (PMS) portal online or seek assistance at City Hall ahead of expiration.
• Resident permit fees are established by resolution of the City Council, in accordance with Section 36-491 of the Municipal Code. The current fee schedule is available on the City's website and at the Public Works Agency.
• Permit issuance is subject to the maximum permits per dwelling established in Section 36-486 of the Municipal Code. Permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis based on parking availability data maintained by staff. • Guest permits are $2.00 each, maximum of 100 single-use 24-hour permits per eligible household. A resident who does not hold a residential permit would still be able to purchase guest permits, as long as they live in an established RPP zone. o Any resident within a permit zone may purchase guest permits. o Resident shall use the virtual PMS to assign guest permits to their guests, including specification of the guest’s vehicle license plate. • A City residential parking permit requirement does not override the parking privilege established by CVC § 22511.5. The placard is not a City-issued permit; the exemption is provided under state law.
RPP Zone Establishment Process
(1) Staff will prepare an Interest Form for any new requests for parking permits, consisting of the following factors:
• Location and description of parking impacts, time of parking impact (daytime, overnight, etc.), and any supplemental photographs documenting the lack of available parking on all identified streets.
• Residents have up to six months to submit the Interest Form. If it is not submitted, the requestor will lose their spot in the request queue. After one year of non-submittal, the process must restart.
(2) City staff will evaluate the Interest Form to understand if the identified streets meet the parking impact requirement. An Interest Form that does not meet the requirement shall be denied, with the specific reason for denial provided to the applicant in writing, including by electronic communication.
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(3) If parking impact requirement and other permit zone requirements are met, City will conduct a parking utilization study to determine parking occupancy. (4) If the utilization analysis demonstrates that there is a need for residential curb management, staff will prepare and mail the petitions to all residents in the identified streets.
The petitioning process is described as follows:
• Each unit is limited to one petition. Residents will be given 5 weeks to review, sign, and submit petition forms.
o In single-family residences, the resident of the home may sign the petition, whether that resident is an owner-occupant or a tenant. A non-resident owner (e.g., an owner who rents out the home) may not sign.
o In multi-family residences, only residents and legal occupants who live within the property may sign the petition; this excludes any non-resident property owner. For multi-family residences with individually owned units, each owneroccupant may sign the petition. • A petition is considered passing if at least 60% of the residents are in support of the permit parking.
o If the petition fails to reach the 60% threshold within 5 weeks, the petitioning process will reset, and the same zone may re-apply again in 6 months. • After the requirements of the RPP program are met, the new permit zone can be established by resolution.
• City staff should install appropriate signage indicating the permit restriction operating hours following zone establishment. Enforcement of permit restrictions should begin after all signage has been installed.
RPP Permit Purchasing Process
• Permit purchases and fulfillment shall be completed on the City’s online PMS platform, or through the City’s mail-in/walk-in services [insert business hours] at the following address:
City of Santa Ana
Public Works Agency, M-43
20 Civic Center Plaza
Santa Ana, CA 92701
• To purchase a permit, residents must provide the following documentation:
o Valid driver’s license
If this does not contain the permit-eligible address, proof of residency will be required.
o Current vehicle registration
Vehicle registration must contain the permit eligible address. If the vehicle is leased, then provide a copy of the lease instead of vehicle registration.
If the vehicle is a company vehicle, then each request will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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Permit Revocation Process
• A parking permit is subject to revocation if the permit holder commits two (2) or more violations of Article XI within a continuous six (6) month period. • Upon determining that grounds for revocation exist, the Director shall provide written notice to the permit holder, including by electronic communication. The notice shall summarize the reasons for the proposed revocation and shall state that the permit holder may request a hearing within fifteen (15) calendar days of the date of the notice. • If a hearing is timely requested, the Director shall designate a hearing officer to conduct the hearing at a date set within thirty (30) calendar days of the request, unless the permit holder and the City agree to an extension.
• At the hearing, the permit holder may testify and present evidence. The hearing officer is not bound by formal rules of evidence, except that hearsay evidence alone may not be the sole basis for a decision.
• The hearing officer shall issue a written decision within ten (10) calendar days of the hearing. The decision shall be provided to the permit holder in writing and shall be final. • The household may reapply for a permit after one (1) year from the date of permit revocation as long as there are no outstanding citation fines.