Owen, a staff member in the City Manager's Office, walked through how to apply for a residential parking permit using the City of Laramie's online portal and explained required documents and fees.

The step-by-step guide matters because residents who live inside designated parking zones must apply through the city's online licensing and permitting system and must enter their address exactly as it appears on the Albany County Assessor's Office to find eligible properties; applications cannot be completed for addresses outside parking zones.

To apply, Owen said residents should start at the City of Laramie homepage and click Online Applications, then go to the Licensing and Permitting page and select Apply Here to open the city's ERP software. "Today, I'm going to be showing you how to apply for a residential parking permit," Owen said. From the ERP page, applicants should click Apply and either sign in or create an account.

Applicants must add the property address as listed on the Albany County Assessor's Office and select the sector or parking district for their location; a linked map on the application helps locate the correct sector. Owen used the example that entering a truncated address can fail: "Make sure that when you're searching for your address, you type it in as exactly as it is on the Albany County Assessor's Office," he said. If the address is outside the boundaries of parking zones the application will not proceed.

Next, applicants enter contact information for the owner or resident, indicate the number of vehicles and guest passes they need, and provide a vehicle identification number (VIN) for each vehicle. Owen said guest passes cost $1 for a six-pack. The application requires uploading proof of residence (for example, a lease or utility bill) and proof of VIN (for example, an insurance card or vehicle registration). Applicants must sign an attestation that the information is true, review the submission and submit the documents.

After submission, the city's utility billing team will review the application and issue the permit. Owen concluded by directing residents to the city's application page at www.cityoflaramie.org/942 to begin the process.

Less-critical details: Owen noted that some addresses (for example, 406 East Ivinson, the address for City Hall) may appear in the assessor's database but fall outside parking zones; in such cases the system returns an error and a permit cannot be issued for that address.