Photo of a sign regarding on-street paid parking in Seattle. Photo: SDOT Summary:
- On Monday, March 28, on-street paid parking rate adjustments will take effect, based on an analysis of the latest available parking occupancy data collected in January 2022.
- On-street paid parking rates are adjusted in various business districts and neighborhoods in Seattle by the time of day to manage local conditions and parking demand proactively.
- By using these variable rates, approximately one to two spaces are generally open and available on each block throughout the day, helping people find parking near their destination.
- Overall, on-street parking rates in Seattle are remaining at or below $2 per hour at 95% of locations and times.
- Parking rates are remaining unchanged or decreasing in over half of the neighborhoods and times of day.
- Parking rates are decreasing in several neighborhoods, including parts of Chinatown-International District in the afternoons and evenings, and parts of Pioneer Square, the Seattle Waterfront, and South Lake Union in the mornings.
Building upon ten years of experience making data-driven on-street parking decisions and our latest analysis of recent parking occupancy data, these latest parking rate adjustments will take effect on Monday, March 28.
Overall, on-street parking rates in Seattle are remaining at or below $2 per hour at 95% of locations and times. Parking rates are remaining unchanged or decreasing in over half of the neighborhoods and times of day.
We are committed to adjusting street parking rates with a goal that one to two spaces are generally open on each block throughout the day to provide reliable access at the curb for business customers. This rate change is consistent with the guidance in the Seattle Municipal Code that we’ve followed to adjust rates since 2011.
We recently collected and analyzed parking data from late-January 2022. Parking occupancy data for each paid area/time of day that is between 70% and 85% occupancy means there are generally 1 to 2 spaces available on each block. When occupancy is below 70%, we make a rate decrease. When occupancy is over 85%, we make a rate increase.
Based on the data we analyzed from January, on-street paid parking rates will increase by $0.50/hour or $1.00/hour in about one-third of paid parking areas and times of day in the city, and the rate will decrease by $0.50/hour in four areas at certain times of the day.
Many areas will continue to see low rates of $0.50/hour at some point during the day. Before the pandemic, some areas had hourly rates near or at the $5.00/hour maximum. Following these March 28, 2022 adjustments, the highest hourly rate in Seattle will be $3.00/hour.
Out of the 90 total different paid parking rates and times throughout the city, we are making 37 adjustments.
Four locations will see a rate decrease of $0.50/hour at some times of the day. This includes sections of the Chinatown-International District, the Waterfront, Pioneer Square, and South Lake Union.
There will be rate increases of either $0.50/hour or $1.00/hour in 32 out of the 90 total area/time of day combinations.
More information is available in the below table, which shows the new on-street paid parking rates that take effect on March 28, 2022.
Please note, this table includes the new, adjusted rates shown by location – during the morning, mid-day, and evening times. The adjustments are highlighted using colors to illustrate whether the rate is increasing by $0.50/hour (green) or $1/hour (orange), is decreasing by $0.50/hour (blue), or remains unchanged (white), following our analysis of recent real-world parking occupancy data from January 2022.
Note: this parking rate information can also be found in a screen-reader friendly format on this web page.
Please note: areas where parking rates are remaining unchanged throughout the day are not shown in the table above, but you can find citywide parking rate information anytime on our Paid Parking Rates web page or via our interactive parking rates map, which visually shows parking rates throughout the city (note: there are 3 tabs, or buttons, to see parking rates in the morning, at mid-day, and in the evening).
Given the seasonal changes to parking and economic activity in Seattle, we will be making two additional rate adjustments in 2022, currently planned for this summer and fall.
SDOT issued a 2020 Paid Parking Annual Report in December 2021. We are also working on the 2021 annual parking report, which we expect to be available soon.