File photo APPROVED PARKING ONLY – Following a cue from the state, the City of Weirton is set to establish a fine for anyone found to be improperly parking in spaces designated for recipients of the Purple Heart. The matter is set to be taken up by city council when it meets tonight.

WEIRTON — One week after Gov. Patrick Morrisey held a ceremonial bill signing establishing penalties for individuals improperly parking in spaces designated for Purple Heart recipients, the City of Weirton is preparing to follow suit.

When Weirton Council meets in regular session tonight, members will consider an ordinance amending Article 351.11 of the city code, “Fixed Fines for Certain Parking Violations.” The meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Weirton Municipal Building, was rescheduled from Monday due to widespread power outages across the city.

The ordinance, which requires two readings for approval, would establish a fixed fine for unauthorized use of Purple Heart-designated parking spaces, update the fixed-fine schedule for certain parking violations, and change references from “handicap parking” to “accessible parking” throughout the code.

If approved, the measure would set a $105 fine for anyone parking in a Purple Heart-designated space without proper credentials.

The city currently assesses $35 fines for violations including parking in front of fire hydrants, improper parking, red-line parking, yellow-line parking, loading zone violations and double parking. A $105 fine already applies to unauthorized use of handicapped parking spaces — which would be renamed “accessible parking” under the ordinance — as well as fire lane violations.

Those cited must appear before the city’s Police Court Clerk within 24 hours of receiving a violation. The ordinance would also adjust the clerk’s office hours from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Morrisey signed Senate Bill 467 during a ceremony in Wheeling on June 2. The law, approved by the Legislature during its regular session earlier this year, gives law enforcement statutory authority to issue fines for improper parking in Purple Heart spaces.

The Purple Heart Parking Program was established in West Virginia in 2022 by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4442 in Elm Grove. It expanded to 50 parking locations in the Wheeling area in its first year, as well as every West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicle office statewide.

Weirton joined the program in November 2023, designating spaces at the Weirton Municipal Building and Millsop Community Center. Several local businesses have since added their own Purple Heart-designated parking spaces.