For those reserving the exact same spot, as in a public space fronting one's home, I believe a case can be made of this as it will be easy to prove. As far as the ones who reserve spaces in varying locations from day to day, I doubt HPD has the manpower to investigate each and every single incident of this nor do I think our courts should be overburdened with parking violations at the taxpayers expense if it comes down to fines, as it will be difficult to prove unless a policeman witnesses such a person reserving the space with cones, then removing the cones and parking in the space and finally testifying in court about it. So I'm wondering, if it's illegal to use cones etc. to cone of spaces, what if such items are simply treated as litter, and thus be discarded by city crews? That would be a pretty good deterrent as a 28" traffic cone retails for around $20.00, so a scofflaw using two or more of these cones to privatize a public space ain't cheap if they get discarded often.