Getting There: Spokane County ups parking fees, fines, enforcement hours

Parking at the Spokane County Courthouse will soon be more expensive, but there’ll be more ways to pay for it.

The Spokane County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 12 to update county code regarding public parking on and around the county campus, including an increase in parking fees and fines, a transition to virtual parking permits and expanded enforcement hours.

Ashley Cloud, senior director of Human Resources for Spokane County, told the board and members of the public these are the first major changes in more than two decades.

“Not only have legal terms changed, the landscape changed, but also our lots, what we’re doing,” Cloud said. “So we need to make changes to our code.”

Spokane County’s campus north of the Spokane River includes more than a dozen parking lots open to the public and county employees. The latest addition to the governmental body’s cadre of pavement came with the purchase of the Monroe Court building last April, a factor cited by Cloud in county discussions ahead of the code change in wanting to update the parking rulebook.

Visitors parking in county-owned lots will now be charged $1.70 for the first hour in both of the county’s offerings: two-hour and 11-hour zones. The cost remains the same for another hour in the two-hour zone, but those parking all day will be charged $1 for each additional hour. The rate increases are the first since 2013.

The penalties for violating the new parking code, including not paying, have also increased. Instead of fines ranging from $15 to $30, citations will now come with fines ranging from $30 -$65 depending on the infraction. Those fine increases will be accompanied by expanded enforcement hours.

In 2024, Spokane County issued 2,237 parking citations for lack of a permit or for failing to pay the meter. Each citation carried a $15 fine, allowing Spokane County to collect at least $47,640. Doubling those fines means the revenue will follow suit.

While acknowledging the changes make up for lost revenue opportunities, Cloud said the increases bring the county’s fee and fine schedule in line with competitors. The city of Spokane’s rates for street parking are the same as the new county ones for both two-hour and 11-hour, or all day, zones. City parking citations also range between $30 to $65. The company Diamond Parking charges similar rates, and issues $45 penalties for parking violations in its private lots.

“We are not trying to surpass or set precedent on large rates or fees,” Cloud said. “It’s just to align with the city around us, but also with what we have assessed with other privately owned lots around us as well.”

Cloud said the changes will still not be enough to bring the county’s parking operation into the black. It gets the account closer, but allocations from the general fund will likely be needed for things like lot repairs.

“We are not in this to be making money,” Cloud said. “Our goal is eventually to get to a point where the general fund is not having to subsidize our county parking lots.”

All county departments and services are having to keep a closer eye on the bottom line heading into the budgeting process for 2026. Spokane County is expecting a $20 million deficit by the end of the year, and the commissioners have directed department heads to cut at least 7% of their expenses.

The code updates also align with the city in how the county’s public parking can now be paid for. Spokane County will transition away from its coin operated meters to kiosks and virtual reservations through the ParkMobile service, the same one used by the cities of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. Would-be parkers can pay for their parking through the app, or by calling and texting the company. Placards describing the process will be placed throughout the lots, she said.

“For ease of access, the app that many of us already have on our phone as Spokane residents, it’s the same app,” Cloud said.