Cincinnati City Council approved an ordinance Wednesday, Sept. 30, requiring security upgrades at roughly 200 parking lots and garages citywide. The rules cover any paid surface lot or garage in the city, including those in Hyde Park and Oakley.
Fox 19 reports council approved the ordinance 7-2 on Sept. 30. Meeka Owens and Seth Walsh voted no, per WVXU.
Starting Jan. 1, 2027, paid parking lots and garages must have adequate lighting and either security cameras at entrances and exits or staff on site during operating hours. Surface lots face an additional requirement: perimeter fencing or cameras covering the lot's edges.
The ordinance also adds consumer protections. Lots and garages must display clear rate signage and allow a 20-minute grace period before a vehicle can be towed.
Cincinnati Police Department data cited at the Sept. 28 committee hearing showed that 38% of guns stolen from vehicles come from parking lots or garages, WKRC reported. According to WLWT, police said 324 firearms were stolen from cars in 2025. Of those, 100 were later used in crimes.
The council's Budget, Finance and Governance Committee advanced the measure 8-1 on Monday, Sept. 28. Councilmember Jeff Cramerding said the ordinance was necessary.
"The sad reality is, at some point, there's going to be a crime in a surface parking lot that's going to be more serious than a car break-in," Cramerding said at the committee meeting.
Not everyone backed the measure. Greg Hubert of Urban Sites Parking Services told the committee the fencing and camera requirements would strain operators already working on thin margins.
Parking lot operator Jay Donaldson, who has run a lot near Over-the-Rhine's Grant Park for more than 20 years, said he already closed his lot to pay-to-park customers before the vote, according to WCPO. Donaldson argued the ordinance unfairly targets pay-to-park lots while exempting universities, hospitals and street parking.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that several parking lot owners objected during the committee hearing, including the Chavez family, whom the Enquirer described as prominent political donors.
Councilmember Anna Albi said the legislation took more than a year to develop, with months of negotiations among parking operators, the city administration and CPD. Mayor Aftab Pureval submitted the ordinance, which modifies Chapter 413 of the Cincinnati Municipal Code.
City-owned parking facilities are expected to meet the new standards by the end of 2026, Albi said, according to WCPO. Lot and garage owners who say the upgrades would dramatically hurt their business can apply for hardship exemptions under a new Section 413-35 of the municipal code.
