Gaithersburg outlines new citywide parking-permit program, sets March–July timeline for rules and software rollout

Gaithersburg staff on Monday presented a plan to replace the city’s patchwork of residential and commercial permit-parking programs with a single, city-managed system and proposed timeline that would put regulations and software in place this spring and a system go-live by July 1.

The plan, developed by an ad hoc permit-parking committee and city staff, would consolidate administration into the city’s Planning and Code Administration department, require applicants to prove address eligibility, and use license-plate-based permits (with optional license-plate-recognition enforcement) instead of hang tags or decals. “This same system will also provide all parking enforcement functionality,” said Brian Helms of the city’s information-technology department.

Why it matters: Council members and staff said the city needs a single, data-driven program that increases enforcement capacity, preserves neighborhoods that already have permit programs and prevents ad hoc, localized fixes that shift parking problems to nearby streets.

What staff proposed: The city is running a request-for-proposal (RFP) to select a vendor that can process residential and commercial permit applications, handle temporary guest permits and integrate with the city’s financial system (Tyler…