How much does parking cost?
Downtown District - Includes the Central Business District, South Waterfront and the Pearl District - $2.20 per hour 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Event Meter District - Next to Providence Park currently in effect on Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns home game days - $5 per hour beginning 3 hours before game start and ends 3 hours after game start (view event district map)
Lloyd District - Bounded by the Willamette River, N/NE Broadway, NE 16th and the I-84 freeway. The district includes the Oregon Convention Center, Lloyd Center, Rose Garden Arena, Memorial Coliseum and Lloyd Business District - $1.20 per hour. East of NE Grand Avenue operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, unless otherwise posted. Meters on and west of NE Grand Avenue operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. ***Starting September 1, 2022 there will be a new Lloyd Event District. Click here for more information***
Marquam Hill District - Located on top of Portland’s Marquam Hill, home to Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Shriners Hospital for Children, the Portland VA Medical Center and other healthcare organizations - $1.80 per hour 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Central Eastside District - Located on MLK Blvd. and Grand Ave. and the streets in between MLK and Grand from I-84 freeway to Clay Street - $1.40 per hour 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Learn more about the Central Eastside.
Northwest District - Bounded by NW Vaughn (on the north), W. Burnside (on the south), NW Cornell and Westover Roads (on the west) and I-405 (on the east) - $1.80 per hour 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday unless otherwise posted. Event pricing is in effect for south of Irving St for Timbers and Thorns home games, $6 per hour beginning 3 hours before game start and ends 3 hours after game start.Learn more about Northwest Portland.
***Starting July 1, 2022 - there was a new 20¢ Climate & Equity Transaction Fee on all parking transactions. For more information click this link. ***
When is parking free?
In all districts parking is free at meters (except at city parks) on the following ten (10) calendar holidays, as specified on each meter: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Parking pay stations are programmed not to accept payment on holidays and will display a message on the screen letting you know that it's a holiday. The City of Portland has free parking on calendar City Holidays (actual date) rather than the Federal Observed Holiday.
Where can you park?
If you're coming Downtown (or near Downtown) you'll find yourself in one of the five meter districts. There are over 20,000 on-street parking stalls, along with five SmartPark garages available to the public. Parking on-street is regulated, so you need to check the signs where you park to make sure you are following the parking rules for that space. You need to pay to park almost everywhere, with some exceptions in the Central Eastside. There are also several privately owned parking lots and garages that are not affiliated with the City.
Where can you NOT park?
- Don't park anywhere with a No Parking sign.
- Don't park anywhere with yellow curb painting. No part of your vehicle should be in the yellow part.
- Don't park within 10 feet of a fire hydrant.
- Don't park blocking a driveway. No part of your vehicle should block any part of the driveway.
- Unless you are a commercial vehicle in the process of loading/unloading, do not park at a Truck Loading Zone.
- Don't park in the travel lane (no double parking).
- Don't park in a bike lane.
- Don't park outside marked lines
- Don't park in a crosswalk. No part of your vehicle should be in the crosswalk.
- Don't park blocking an ADA curb ramp. No part of your vehicle should block any part of a curb ramp.
This is not an exhaustive list. Always check the signs where you park!
How do you pay for parking?
With Mobile Pay
The most convenient way to pay for parking is through Parking Kitty, the City-owned mobile pay app. Park, pay, be on your way.
Download Parking Kitty (Android)Download Parking Kitty (iOS)Use Parking Kitty Web Version
Check out our Parking Kitty video below, it's pawsitively awesome.
Parking Kitty is available at Portland State University parking lots and garages and at Washington Park. Click below to learn more.
At the Pay Station
Portland updated all of it's parking pay stations to be pay-by-plate, meaning no more paper receipt to return to your vehicle. Instructions are on each pay station, as well as in the video below.
How long can you park?
In meter districts
In the meter districts you will see signs like this. The number on the sign is the time limit, which tells you how long you can park there before you must move your car to another blockface. You must pay for parking in these areas and you cannot feed the meter.
Outside of a meter district:
Outside of the meter district or in parts of the Central Eastside you will see signs like this. The number on the sign is the time limit, which tells you how long you can park there before you must move your car to another blockface. Unless otherwise specified, the posted time limit is in effect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. You do not have to pay for parking in these areas.
In an Area Parking Permit zone:
If you find yourself in one of the Area Parking Permit Zones you will see signs like this. Signs are slightly different in each zone, but each one will give the timestay limit (usually in the top corner) and the hours of enforcement. Unless you have a residential, visitor, or business permit for that zone you must move your car out of the zone by the end of the posted timestay.
How do truck loading zones work?
Why does Portland have truck loading zones? These zones are for commercial vehicles with signage to use for loading and unloading purposes only. Commercial vehicles are limited to 30 minutes. Each location is designed to meet the needs of the surrounding businesses.
What if you are a customer wanting to park here? Each location is signed with the enforcement hours for the truck loading zone. If you park during these hours you may receive a citation and have your vehicle towed. Outside of the posted hours, the stall will revert to match the rest of the block (unless there is other signage posted). If you are in a meter district, you need to pay for parking, and you can only stay up to the posted time limit (see section above).
Where can people with disability placards park?
There are several disability parking stalls throughout the City, both in meter districts and other areas. These stalls are signed, and only vehicle with valid Disability Placards can park there. Please note that some stalls are signed for Wheelchair Users Only. You must have a valid Disability Wheelchair User Placard to park here.
The rules of how long you can park and how much you must pay vary by location and disability parking stall type.
If you have a Disability Parking Placard - you can park at a 2 Hour meter, pay for 2 hours, and stay for 3 hours. At any meter that's more than 2 hours, you can only stay for the length that you pay for. Outside of the meter districts, you can park for up to 24 hours before you need to move your car.
If you have a Disability Wheelchair User Parking Placard - you can park at any metered location without having to pay and can stay for up to 24 hours. Outside of the meter districts, you can park for up to 24 hours before you need to move your car.
Click here to learn more about disability parking in Portland.
Where can you park motorcycles and scooters?
Portland has several dedicated on-street and SmartPark motorcycle/scooter parking locations. Please see the map below for more information.
Make sure you do not get a parking citation by doing one of the following:
- Pay with Parking Kitty, Portland's mobile pay app
- Pay at a pay-by-plate meter, these are being installed through out the City
- At a pay-and-display meter, attach the meter receipt near the handlebars. We recommend taking a cell phone picture of your parking receipt on the motorcycle or scooter as proof of payment if you fear it will get stolen or lost. The picture of the receipt on the vehicle can serve as proof of payment.
If a customer receives a parking citation, proof of payment can be validated by contacting pay station customer service at 503-278-5410 within 3 business days. Upon validation, the parking citation for non-payment of the meter will be cancelled immediately.