(a) A local authority shall not establish parking meter zones or fix the rate of fees for those zones except by ordinance. The rate of fees may be variable, based upon criteria identified by the local authority in the ordinance. An ordinance establishing a parking meter zone shall describe the area that would be included within the zone.
(b) A local authority may by ordinance cause streets and highways to be marked with white lines designating parking spaces and require vehicles to park within the parking spaces.
(c) An ordinance adopted by a local authority pursuant to this section with respect to any state highway shall not become effective until the proposed ordinance has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Department of Transportation. The proposed ordinance shall be submitted to the department only by action of the local legislative body and the proposed ordinance shall be submitted in complete draft form.
(d) An ordinance adopted pursuant to this section establishing a parking meter zone or fixing rates of fees for that zone shall be subject to local referendum processes in the same manner as if the ordinance dealt with a matter of purely local concern.
(e) A local authority may accept but shall not require payment of parking meter fees by a mobile device.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 70, Sec. 1. (SB 1388) Effective January 1, 2013.)