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PARKING  in Farmington, or the lack of it, has been an issue since 1947.  Because of the lack of parking, the following town ordinances are in place and it is the duty of the Farmington Police Department to enforce them.

GENERAL ● There is no parking on sidewalks. All vehicles must park within the designated parking lines. There is no parking within ten feet of any entrance to an alley, fire lane or driveway in the business district of Farmington. There is no parking within twenty feet of ANY intersection. No person, when parking a vehicle, shall park it on the driver’s left. Parking in a handicapped space carries a penalty of $200. All other parking fines double after 30 days.

Please remember that parking in a NO PARKING area for ANY length of time is still a violation and a ticket may be issued. This applies to vehicles which may be loading or unloading and vehicles which have their “hazards” on.

OVERNIGHT ● No person shall park a vehicle during the summer months on the below mentioned streets from April 16^th  to November 14^th from midnight to 6am. The owner/operator of said vehicle shall be subject to a penalty of $20 and/or be subject to having said vehicle towed at the owner’s expense. Streets: Main Street from the intersection of Main St and South Street to the intersection of Main St and Belcher Road; Broadway from the intersection of Front Street and Broadway to the intersection of High Street and Broadway. Church Street from Main Street to the front entrance of 113 Church Street (Children's Task Force), including the four (4) spaces along the front of the County Lot.

WINTER ●No person shall park a vehicle from midnight to 6am on any street, public way or Town owned or leased parking lot (i.e. Bjorn Parking Lot, Park Street Parking Lot, Park N Ride Parking Lot, Town Office Parking Lot, Community Center Parking Lot and Broadway Municipal “Kyes Square” Parking Lot) from November 15^th to April 15^th or during any part of the day which would block the removal of snow. The owner/operator of said vehicle shall be subject to a penalty of $20 and/or be subject to having said vehicle towed at the owner's expense.

LIMITED/TIMED ● No person shall park on the North side of Bridge Street for more than 2 hours between 9am and 6pm from the intersection of the Town Farm Road , continuing for 84 feet. No person shall park on Broadway for more than 2 hours at a time between 9am and 6pm; with the exception of the first 3 spaces in front of 163 Broadway, which shall be 20 minute parking. No person shall park a vehicle on either side of the portion of Church Street west of the front entrance of 113 Church Street (Children's Task Force) for more than 2 hours between the hours of 9am and 6pm.  No person shall park in the Municipal Parking Lot for more than 3 hours at a time between 9am and 6pm. No person shall park on Main Street for more than 2 hours at a time between 9am and 6pm in the following locations: East side of Main from Academy north to Anson and West side of Main from Pleasant Street south to Academy; with the exception of the 3 spaces in front of the Farmington Post Office, which shall be 20 minute parking.

Where Can I Park?

• Park N Ride Parking Lot has spaces designated for overnight parking in the front of the lot.
• There are several overnight spaces in the Better Living Center Parking Lot, as well as a Long term area.

If you have additional questions concerning parking in the Town of Farmington or if you would like a copy of the Town Ordinance concerning parking, please contact us.

 Any person or vehicle owner who is issued any parking ticket in violation of this ordinance may choose to contest the violation by coming to the Farmington Police Department and attempt to resolve the matter with the issuing officer or Chief of Police. If the person or vehicle owner is not satisfied with the explanation, then that person can be issued a Civil Citation for a District Court Judge to hear. The person or vehicle owner may be adjudicated a fine of up to $100, plus costs, plus the cost of the original parking ticket.

Speeding:
    The Farmington Police Department has a very low tolerance for speeders.  Speeding through Farmington could get you a ticket that would levy a $119 fine for 1-9 over the posted speed limit, $137 fine for 10-14 over the posted speed limit, $185 fine for 15-19 over the posted speed limit, $215 fine for 20-24 over the posted speed limit, $263 fine for 25-29 over the posted speed limit, and a pair of matching silver bracelets (handcuffs) for speeding 30 mph or more over the posted speed limit.  The fines are doubled for speeding in a School or Construction Zone.  Statistics support the fact that speeding increases the occurrence of motor vehicle crashes and lowering the number of motor vehicle crashes in Farmington is a top priority of the Farmington Police Department. 

Operation Red Light:
    Watch out for those red lights.  Always come to a complete stop at a red light because you never know who might be watching.  The Farmington Police Department does observe different red lights from an unmarked police cruiser.  If you get caught running a red light you will be greeted down the road by some flashing blue lights.

Operating Under the Influence (OUI):
    Through a grant from the Maine Department of Highway Safety, the Farmington Police Department will run several saturated patrols which are designed to look specifically for motorists that are operating under the influence. 

     Drug Impaired drivers are a growing problem for all operators on all roads across the country.  The effects of impairment vary from person to person. In general, impairment can be defined as changes in a person's ability to perform routine daily tasks at the normal level of functioning. Symptoms may include drowsiness or excitability, altered depth perception, or slowed or increased reaction time. Impairment affects one's ability to drive, among other things, but these changes can often be difficult to identify.  Sergeant Shane Cote is the Drug Recognition Expert for the Farmington Police Department. He has received extensive training in the detection and apprehension of drug impaired drivers. If an operator is stopped and drug impairment is suspected, they are going to meet Sergeant Cote. Some drivers aren't even aware that they are drug impaired, don't let this be you. Visit the link below and learn more about drug impaired driving.       KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

     Operating with a suspended license:  Drivers operating after suspension of their driver's license is a problem of large scale for all operators on all roads across the country.  To help to combat this problem, the Secretary of State and Bureau of Motor Vehicles now publishes a list of suspended operators, available to all law enforcement agencies in the state. On any given day, there are both Farmington residents operating with suspended licenses and drivers passing through Farmington with suspended licenses.  It is another function of the Farmington Police Department to initiate contact with random drivers in hopes to apprehend these individuals.  In Farmington, a driver found to be operating after suspension will be arrested. 

Crosswalk Safety:

    In an attempt to reduce the number of pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes, the Farmington Police Department applied for and obtained a grant from the Bureau of Highway Safety.  Over 5000 pamphlets were produced and distributed along with a 30 second radio public service announcement and a video public service announcement that was aired on Mt. Blue TV 11.  Pedestrians, please remember to use marked crosswalks and if the crosswalk has a signal, you must push the button and wait for the signal before crossing.  Motorists, be aware of pedestrian traffic and yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks, failure to do so could cost you $139 - 165.

Skateboard Ordinance

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Press Releases:

August 10, 2006

The Farmington Police Department received a Highway Safety Grant from State Farm Insurance on August 9, 2006.

The grant will be used to purchase a traffic counter that will assist the police department in determining streets with serious speeding issues.  The counter will also allow the police department to determine peak speeding times on these streets so that we can more efficiently deploy our personnel to combat speeding and therefore reduce traffic crashes.

The grant is an example of a law enforcement and private business partnership formed to meet a common goal.  The goal in this case is the reduction of traffic crashes which makes our community a safer place.

Richard E. Caton, III

Chief of Police

STREET NAMES AND ADDRESSES FOR FARMINGTON

   As of June 1, 2000 the Town of Farmington and the U.S. Postal Service informed all Farmington property owners of their new E-911 mailing address and new street names.  The local emergency response units commend those citizens for cooperation and willingness to make the changes.
    The new addressing system requires each property owner to number their buildings on the location nearest the front entry area.  This must be done with numerals that are at least three (3) inches in height with some type of illumination on them (reflective or lighted).  The color of the numerals should be in contrast to the building color (s).  If your building is more than fifty (50) feet from the major roadway or street, there should be a street number sign by the property entrance as well as numerals on the building itself.
    All emergency responders (Life Star Ambulance, Farmington Fire Department, and the Farmington Police Department) congratulate those citizens who have complied with the ordinance.  
    If you are one of those citizens who has not yet complied with the numbering system, it is strongly recommended by the above emergency responders that you make every effort to get your numbers in place.  It can make a difference in how quickly these responding personnel respond to your emergency, minutes can save lives and property.