DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit has not been enforcing violations for things like parking or yard waste since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
RELATED: Detroit to resume parking enforcement on June 29
But that changes starting Monday when three city departments, including the parking authority, resume enforcement activity.
Keith Hutchings is Detroit’s Director of Municipal Parking.
“I know everybody hates getting those tickets, I know I don’t like getting them either,” he said.
But Hutchings has a positive spin on it. As the city and state continue to fight the battle against COVID-19, the reopening phase has invited more folks to come and checkout local restaurants and businesses.
More cars parking in Detroit means more enforcement is needed.
That’s great news for the parking authority because majority of the staff have been furloughed during the shutdown.
With parking enforcement starting back up Monday, at least 15% of the department employees will be back at work.
“It’s exciting that we are starting to move back towards a little more normalized reality,” Hutchings said.
Other enforcement activity will resume for the Building Safety Engineering and Environmental Department. They enforce issues like property maintenance and environmental compliance.
The public works department will also start enforcing rules regarding yard waste, bulk collection and illegal dumping.
Hutchings says you will notice parking enforcement officers wearing masks and have extras in case they have to interact with drivers.
“If they don’t have a mask to be able to offer them, to protect both the parking enforcement officer, as well as the citizen,” he said.
If you want to stay safe and not handle money at the meters, download the city’s Park Detroit app.
“Which allows you to pay for parking anywhere in the city without having to actually be at the meter, you can stay right on your phone,” Hutchings said.
Parking enforcement officers don’t give out warnings but Hutchings tells us they may be more forgiving this week as they try and get the word out.
“Let’s beat this thing together, let’s continue to be good citizens and do what we need to do to be safe,” he said.
If you got a parking fine back in March that you haven't paid just yet, you might want to go ahead and pay it.
The parking authority has not been tallying late fees during the shutdown but we are told that will change starting in the next week or so.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Read our daily Coronavirus Live Blog for the latest updates and news on coronavirus.
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
Find out how you can help metro Detroit restaurants struggling during the pandemic.
See all of our Helping Each Other stories.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.