Northwest Parking District

Northwest Parking District Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) 

The Northwest Parking District Stakeholder Advisory Committee was formed in 2014 to advise the City on transportation and parking issues in the Zone M Parking District. The committee's mission is to support a full range of transportation options within the context of neighborhood livability and economic vitality with the goal of efficiently managing parking and reducing reliance on single-occupancy vehicles. 

The committee is responsible for carrying out the Northwest District Parking Management Plan, which was adopted by City Council in 2013, to manage the on-street parking system based on best practices and data. The plan created a metered area and expanded the permit district. An on-street parking analysis is conducted annually to inform the committee. The committee is responsible for developing a list of transportation related projects and programs to spend meter revenues and permit surcharge funds. Learn more about programs in the Northwest Parking District.

The Northwest Parking District Stakeholder Advisory Committee includes 4 representatives from Northwest District Association (NWDA), 4 representatives from Northwest Business Association (NWBA), and 5 At-large individuals. Find the full list of members here. Meetings occur on the third Wednesdays of the month from 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM on Zoom. The public is encouraged to attend.  Meeting agendas, summaries and materials are posted here. 

Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) provides executive and administrative support to the committee. PBOT supports the committee with materials and updates, sends final agendas and meeting notes to interested parties, and leads the projects selected by the committee.

Join our email list  Learn About the Northwest Stakeholder Advisory Committee 

Northwest Residential and Business Parking Permits (Zone M)

The Northwest Portland Parking District (also called Zone M) is an area with metered parking and parking for residential/business permit holders. The Zone M permit program allows permit holders to exceed the signed visitor limit in the permit zone. Visitors have to follow the posted visitor limit whether that time is free or paid.

Permits are not valid for pay-to-park only areas. Currently the permit program hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Outside those hours, anyone can park in any metered or permit-only space for free. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) issues and enforces parking permits. Residents and businesses in the Northwest Parking District can apply for parking permits. 

In 2016, City Council allowed the northwest to develop a pilot program with additional tools to manage on-street parking: a permit surcharge fee, capping the total number of permits issued, limiting annual issuance of residential permits, and annual Transportation Demand Management (TDM) surveys. TDM is a collection of strategies and policies to reduce or redistribute travel demand. The permit surcharge must be spent within the northwest parking area on TDM. Examples include reduced cost transit passes and bike sharing. TDM is one of the quickest, least expensive, and most effective strategies to reduce or prevent traffic and parking problems. 

Check your address here to see if you live in the Zone M parking permit area.

Northwest Residential Parking Permits (Zone M) 

Residential Overview 

• Permits cost $195 ($75 permit + $120 surcharge). 
• Permits are limited to 1 per licensed driver.  
• The number of resident permits allowed per address is reduced proportionately by the number of off-street parking spaces available to that address. Applicants complete an off-street declaration form with their application. 
• Residents with low incomes at 80% Area Median Income pay $75 for a permit (the surcharge is waived). Residents with low-incomes who live in buildings with off-street parking are eligible to buy one parking permit at the low-income rate. Low-income self-certification does not apply for residents renewing more than one vehicle. Review income limits Here. 
• Residents that have more than one permit are eligible to renew their permits at a tiered price (permit prices below). The off-street declaration form works in conjunction with this rule (see information on off-street declarations above).
  • 1st permit: $195
  •  2nd permit: $390
  •  3rd permit and thereafter: $585
• If you are a new applicant and have not received a Zone M permit before:
  • There is a maximum of three permits per address/unit.
  • Be aware of permit caps. Buildings that obtained their certificate of occupancy after August 7, 2013 but before September 1, 2017 , are limited to 0.6 permits per number of units in the building. Buildings that obtained their certificate of occupancy September 1, 2017 or after, are limited to 0.4 permits per number of units in the building.

Information about building age and permit restrictions can be found here. 

Residential Opt-Out Incentive  

If a resident chooses to not renew their Zone M parking permit, they can opt to receive a free Transportation Wallet (2020) that includes:

Click here to apply for a Zone M Area Parking Permit.

Northwest Businesses Parking Permits (Zone M) 

Business Overview 

• Permits cost $195 ($75 permit + $120 surcharge).
• The maximum number of permits issued to any business is 50.
• Businesses requesting more than 30 permits must complete a mandatory survey on their transportation demand management  strategy plans and practices, as well as about their off-street parking (go to survey).
• Businesses may request an exception (to buy more than 50 permits) by writing to the Northwest Parking District Liaison: Rae-Leigh.Stark@portlandoregon.gov. Decisions are made based on their strategies to reduce traffic demand and parking management practices (go to process document). If a business is issued an exception for more than 50 permits, the additional permits over the first 50 would cost $390 each

Business Opt-out Incentive

TheTransportation Wallet is a collection of passes and credits for use on transit, streetcar, bikeshare and e-scooters. Businesses can receive free Transportation Wallets for every permit not renewed from the previous year. Businesses can also receive discounted Transportation Wallets for $25 each if they purchase fewer permits than what they are eligible to buy. 

Click here to apply for a Zone M Area Parking Permit.

On-Street Visitor Parking

Due to high parking demand in northwest Portland, the main commercial corridors of NW 23rd Ave and NW 21st Ave, are metered only. Nearby parking includes a residential permit area (Zone M) with metered parking. If you are a visitor, you will also have to pay for parking in these areas, and the signs in this area indicate that vehicles with residential or business permits can park without paying at the meter. If you are a visitor (without a Zone M permit), keep in mind that that no matter where you park, there is a time limit. 

There are different “time stays”: 4 hours, 2 hours and 30 minutes. 4 hours is the base time stay because it allows time for people to visit several businesses. On NW 21st Avenue and NW 23rd Avenue, about 80 percent of the meters are four hours. 2 hour time stays are mixed in to increase turnover in busy areas — so more people can find available parking. Residentially zoned streets will have one 30-minute short-term space at one corner of each block face. These are to make it easier for loading and unloading vehicles, and other short-term uses.

Fifty-one percent of net meter revenue derived from the Northwest Parking District is allocated through the City budget process for projects, programs, and services that support transportation policies and objectives. Some examples of the projects include:

• Northwest in Motion Circulation and Safety Study
• Infrastructure projects such as curb extensions, improved crosswalks
• Shared parking projects such as improved signage and pay stations

For more information on parking in Portland, visit our On-Street Parking Guide. 

Interactive Parking Map

Looking for a disability parking stall? Click the link below for an interactive map. Standard disability stalls are marked with a "D" when you zoom in, and Wheelchair User Only stalls are marked with a "W". Need more information about disability parking in Portland? Click here to read about rules and regulations. 

Disability Parking Map

Off-Street Visitor Parking

Click here to learn about off-street options and find a map detailing the locations and hours of off-street parking lots, as well as locations for BIKETOWN bike corrals. BIKETOWN, Portland's bike share program, is a great alternative to parking and re-parking your car once here!

Parking structures are being evaluated for future construction. They are expensive capital projects. The Northwest Parking District Stakeholder Advisory Committee and Portland Bureau of Transportation will continue to manage the on-street system based on best practices and data. This includes implementing Transportation Demand Management (TDM or strategies and polices to reduce travel demand), and using the current off-street parking supply and tools to manage the on-street parking prior to moving forward with a parking structure. 

Northwest Reports

Parking Studies 

Annual Reports  

Northwest Parking District Stakeholder Advisory Committee Framework 

Sign up for our email list 

Contact: NWParkingDistrict@portlandoregon.gov