Q: There is a fire hydrant in front of Norm Gutzait's West Seattle home, just steps away from a marked cross
walk, which happens to be across busy Harbor Avenue Southwest. More often than not, he's noticed, cars and trucks will park within five feet of the hydrant. But it's not often that those vehicles get ticketed.

Gutzait says he's had little luck searching Web sites for regulations that outline the legal distance a vehicle is required to park away from a fire hydrant.

He's noticed no regulation for parking on the far side of crosswalk. But on his side of the street, signs are posted for two-hour parking. He says vehicles parked at the hydrant have at times obstructed the view of pedestrians trying to cross at the crosswalk.

A: Seattle's municipal code spells out that vehicles are unlawfully parked within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. That goes not only for parking, says Officer Jeff Kappel of the Seattle Police Department, but for standing, as well. That means running, occupied, or stopped vehicles.

In Seattle, a ticket for parking too close to a fire hydrant is $38. In Bellevue, the minimum distance is the same, 15 feet, but the fine is $35.

The Seattle Municipal Code has a couple chapters that deal with city parking regulations.