Ask A Dad: Is It Okay To Call Dibs On A Shoveled-Out Parking Spot?

January 4, 2018

Now, many of you reading this might not be familiar with the term “dibs,” or even the concept of a shoveled-out space. The term is most commonly used in Chicago or the East Coast, but the idea is relatively applicable anywhere with street parking and snow storms.

Essentially, it goes like this: once you have dug out your parking space after a winter storm, you can put a lawn chair, trash can, or some sort of obstructive object to stop anyone else from taking “your” space while you’re away.

It’s a very volatile issue. Half of people think that no one can claim ownership of a public parking space on the street, no matter what the weather conditions are. And the other half of people will absolutely key your car if you belong to that first group and decide to move their lawn chair and take the spot for yourself.

So we asked a dad. Here was his official response:

“Well, I tell you what, that’s a puzzler. See, if I’m shoveling my car out so I can drive it, I’m putting my own elbow grease into that space, you know? But then again, if everyone’s just putting chairs all over the street, how can anyone get parked? That’s a real pickle.

So here’s what I say. I think if you shovel out a spot, that’s yours until you drive the car back. So sure, you can call dibs if you shovel out your car to go to the hardware store, since you’re just running an errand. Heck, even if you shovel it out to go to work, seems fair you can go back to the spot.

But you get a day, tops. And only for one trip. The second time your car goes out of that shoveled spot, it’s fair game. I think the rule is, if you have to clear snow yourself before driving the car, you can keep the spot, but after that, it’s fair game.”

Well there you have it folks. The answer is…dibs are allowed! But only with strict rules applied. We can’t guarantee this will ease up the nightmare of winter parking, but hopefully it’s a dad-approved start.