FARMVILLE — As you read this, more than one thousand town residents are breaking a law.

In broad daylight.

Or possibly the dark of night.

It may even be dusk.

Right out on the street in front of their home.

Their vehicle does not have a resident parking permit.

Technically, it is illegal to park in front of your own home—in those areas of the town where resident parking applies—without one.

“That’s right,” Town Manager Gerald Spates agreed, “and they can get a ticket for it.”

Or they can buy the $5 resident parking permit, which comes with guest passes, too.

But only a small percentage of town residents who should buy the permit do so.

Town Treasurer Carol Anne Seal said 312 resident parking stickers were sold last spring. That number should be close to about 1,600, according to her.

Most of the resident parking-only streets are in and around Longwood University—signs declare which streets those are—and the permits are meant to assure residents that they will have a place to park in front of their own homes.

“It’s just making sure they have a spot to park,” Seal said.

Exactly, Spates told The Herald.

“It’s for them to have parking in their neighborhood,” the town manager said.

Some people do have their own off-street parking and don’t need to be certain of a space in front of their residence. But, for those who don’t the resident parking plan is meant to help them at a nominal cost meant to cover the Town’s expense of the permits themselves.

Each residence gets two residential parking permits for that $5, plus two guest cards, as they may need them.

The reason so few people have bought the parking permits, Spates believes, is that town residents “no longer have to come in and buy their town (motor vehicle) decals. It’s paid through their personal property tax with the County, so people don’t even think about it (parking permits) now.”

Spates isn’t sure whether that $5 cost has also contributed to the slow parking permit sales.

There haven’t been too many parking problems, Spates acknowledged, but some people will take advantage of the situation and park in front of someone else’s home if they think they can get away with it.

“If they see they can park without a decal,” the town manager said, “they’ll park there.”

The parking permits are on sale now at the Town Treasurer’s office and are good for 12 months, from March to the following April.

The fine for parking in a resident parking spot without one is $10.