SEATTLE — If the sign isn't valid, you can't be ticketed or towed.
"Parking enforcement knows that that sheet needs to be on there before a parking citation is issued," said Mike Estey, SDOT's parking operations manager.
On SDOT's website it says, "Temporary no parking signs and easels will not be considered valid if they do not clearly indicate a contact name and telephone number, if they do not clearly indicate start and stop dates and times, and if they do not have a printed Public Notice affixed to at least two signs per block prior to the temporary no parking zone going into effect."
However, across the city we found many construction crews disregarding posting the form that makes the sign valid.
The signs can be rented for about $40 a week from companies -- not the city.
On Capitol Hill at Boylston Avenue East, we found a construction site with 11 signs that did not have forms posted on the sandwich board signs.
A construction worker said they were torn off.
He had other workers post new signs on them after we brought it to his attention.
In the same area, neighbors believe construction workers put up the signs so they have a place to park when they come to work, even though they are not supposed to.
"These workers come in in single occupancy vehicles and use these no parking a boards to essentially privatize these streets and that's not what these no-parks are intended to do," said Tim Durkan.
SDOT says the temporary no parking zones are for staging, delivery, truck clearances and other construction purposes only.
We also spotted the same signs with no verification forms posted at Bellevue and Pine, and Fifth and Columbia.
At Bellevue and Pine the foreman couldn't produce the form.
At Fifth and Columbia, a contractor said he would put up new signs after he realized none were posted.
"We just got it worked out there with the neighbor the trucks that pull up for the conveyor," said the foreman who refused to address the issue.
SDOT said it will make site visits to the locations where we found the verification forms were not present.
"We have enough staff on the streets to catch a lot of these when it's not in compliance," Estey added, "We'd love to hear about it so we can send someone out there from SDOT or Seattle police to enforce it."