HAVERHILL - In past years residents would wake up to find winter parking ban tickets on their cars before Thanksgiving, well before even a dusting of snow had fallen.

They had violated the city's winter parking rules, which begin in mid-November and order residents to park on a particular side of the street. Police would ticket early in the season to force residents to follow the rules so when it did snow later in the year, plows could pass by.

But now police are giving violators a break - a warning instead of a fine. Since the rules went into effect last week, violators have been finding fliers with warnings under their windshield wipers.

It's giving them a chance to learn to follow the law without getting hit with a $25 ticket the first time around.

The fliers explain the finer points of the winter parking rules - where drivers are supposed to park and the penalty for failing to do so.

"We're trying to give people a little warning before we start ticketing them," Detective Sgt. John Arahovites said. "Hopefully people will get the message over the next couple of weeks and start following the rules."

Arahovites said police will probably switch from fliers to tickets by the end of November, but noted it is an officer's prerogative to ticket illegally parked automobiles anytime.

Under the rules designed to allow the city to clear its streets when it snows, drivers must park on the even-numbered side of the street from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. now until Dec. 31, the odd-numbered side in January, back to the even-numbered side in February and finally the odd-numbered side in March. Owners of cars parked on the wrong side are subject to a $25 fine and can face a towing fee of up to $125 in a snow emergency.

In Haverhill and other communities with similar parking rules, residents are often angry when the winter rules are used this soon, even though there is no snow in the immediate forecast. Officials note, however, that snowstorms have been known to hit the region starting as early as this month.

Police in Plaistow, N.H., have been sticking $25 tickets since last week on vehicles in violation of the town's winter parking rules, which ban parking on public streets at night. Plaistow Deputy police Chief Kathleen Jones said police are trying to make people aware "before the snow begins to fall" that nighttime parking on the streets is not allowed.

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Haverhill winter parking rules

Use the even-numbered side of the street from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. from now until Dec. 31.

Use the odd-numbered side in January, the even-numbered side in February and the odd-numbered side in March.

Owners of cars parked on the wrong side face a $25 fine and a towing fee of up to $125.