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In the past few weeks, thousands of D.C. residents have gotten a confusing piece of mail. Following the new guidelines that require them to apply for visitor parking passes, they registered by phone or online for a permit for their guests to park in restricted street spaces. And then they received the passes—-which carry an expiration date in September 2014.

Naturally, this has caused a good deal of consternation, mostly because September 2014 is already behind us. I’ve gotten emails from residents who received the wrong pass, and one local reporter tweeted out his frustration yesterday:

According to District Department of Transportation Reggie Sanders, 3,900 people who registered for the 2015 visitor parking pass may have received a 2014 pass in error. But he says the problem will soon be resolved.

“It’s an easy fix,” says Sanders, “and we’ll take care of it. Everyone will have the right pass by the end of the year.”

Despite the date listed on the 2014 passes, they’re actually valid through the end of the year. Their validity period was extended this summer when the new guidelines were issued.

Here is a statement from Sanders:

More than 22,000 residents have registered for a 2015 Visitor Parking Pass (VPP).  An additional 3,900 residents registered and may have received a 2014 Pass in error.  Furthermore, the website and the letter mailed with the 2014 VPPs were confusing.  We take full responsibility for all of this.  Please note that every resident who registered for a Visitor’s Parking Pass between August and December 15th will receive a 2015 VPP by December 31st.  If you experience problems registering for Visitor Parking Pass online, please contact DDOT’s call center at (202) 671-2700.

Image from the DDOT website