Board of Selectmen Amends Parking Permit Renewal Process

GREENWICH, CT — The Town of Greenwich has made an amendment to the parking ordinance regarding the renewal of annual parking permits.

The Board of Selectmen unanimously voted on Thursday morning to give parking permit holders one last chance to renew their permits if they miss the renewal deadline on Dec. 1.

Before, permit holders who failed to renew their permit within 20 days of the renewal date were placed on a waitlist for future consideration. A $25 fee was assessed after the first 10 days after the renewal deadline, and a $45 fee between 10 days and the end of December. Permits expire Dec. 31, and residents are notified at the beginning of October about the renewal process.

Now following the Board's vote, permit holders have a one-time ability to submit a renewal application prior to the end of the first month of the new permit year. Permit holders who want to take advantage of the extended application period will be required to pay the full cost of an annual permit plus an additional fee of $245.

Soon-to-be-retired Deputy Police Chief Mark Marino, who also heads Parking Services, went before the Board of Selectmen on Thursday to present the proposal.

In the past, once Jan. 1 came, there was no alternative for people who missed the deadline, he said.

"This is something that is a last resort for people who have had a permit and for one reason or another neglected to renew it on time," Marino said. "It's not something we want people to be using on a regular basis. It's a one time opportunity for people that for one reason or another missed the deadline that they can apply for the permit."

Marino also said that when the renewal period closes, Parking Services looks to work on the waitlist. In the past, when people haven't renewed their permits on time, the process of going through the list is delayed.

Marino believes a hefty fee of $245 will deter that from happening, and keep people from taking advantage of the extended period. Marino said over the past few years, about a dozen people on average each year out of 4,500 missed the deadline, with one "repeat offender."

First Selectman Fred Camillo said the permit renewal process is one of the things he heard the most about from residents when he was elected in 2019.

"I heard from some 20-year permit holders. They were begging and said they'd pay anything to get their permits bck," Camillo said. "I do like the idea of offering up one last chance."