You're About to Pay a Lot More for Parking in DC

The District is just days away from a huge increase in the price of parking on the street.

The Council of the District of Columbia last year approved a new rate structure for parking meters in the city, and those rates will be going into effect on June 1, according to the D.C. Department of Transportation.

That means on Wednesday next week, it will cost you $2.30 per hour to park at the 15,000 parking meters across the city, and that applies to both commercial and passenger vehicles. That's a huge increase from what it is currently, which is $2.00 for premium demand zones and $0.75 for normal demand zones. On June 1, it's $2.30 for both zones.

Still, the price is well below some other East Coast cities, DDOT argues on its site.

"The District’s premium demand zone rate is comparable or lower than the premium rates in other major cities across the nation including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore and Philadelphia where rates are $3 an hour or more," the site states.

In addition to the rate increase, DDOT has also adjusted the hours of enforcement for parking meters in some of the busiest commercial districts. Nighttime parking enforcement hours have been extended to 10 p.m. in the following zones:

• Adams Morgan
• Georgetown Historic District
• Penn Quarter/Chinatown
• U Street NW Corridor
• Downtown Central Business District
• Maine Avenue and Water Streets SW
• The National Mall
• Wisconsin Avenue NW (from Van Ness Street to Western Avenue)

The hours of enforcement for all other zones remains 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Check any meter your park at very carefully to avoid a ticket or getting towed.

Image via DDOT