Big Changes Coming To Parking In Downtown Detroit Areas: Everything You Need To Know

DETROIT — New parking changes are coming to Detroit's downtown areas in 2024, officials announced Tuesday.

The Detroit Municipal Parking Department said it will limit on-street parking in four newly established residential parking zones. Officials will monitor the zones on a seven-days-per-week basis starting in January.

The new zones include:

• Cass Park and Selden, which will begin Jan. 2.
• Southern Brush Park, which begins Jan. 16.
• Central Brush Park, which will begin in February.

The new parking zones with daily enforcement come at the request of residents who are struggling to find parking near their apartments due to a growing number of visitors at nearby restaurants and entertainment venues, officials said.

The changes will limit visitors from evening parking near some of Detroit's restaurants and venues, including Little Caesars Arena, officials warned.

The city will also begin enforcing parking safety violations on Sundays, officials said.

Currently, the city only enforces parking violations Monday through Saturday, but starting Jan. 2, officers will start issuing tickets on Sunday as well. Some violations include blocking fire hydrants, alleys or driveways, parking at bus stops or "no parking" zones on Sundays as well, officials said.

Metered parking will remain free on Sundays and holidays, officials said.

"We worked very hard with Council President Mary Sheffield and former Council Member Castaneda-Lopez to draft this ordinance which gives us the ability to create Residential Parking Zones that are laser-focused on the issues surrounding each individual neighborhood," Director of the Municipal Parking Department Keith Hutchings said in a statement. "We know change isn't easy, but enforcing these new zones will improve the quality of life for these residents who have asked for them."

How To Get A Parking Permit If You Live In A Residential Parking Zone

If you live in a Residential Parking Zone, you can receive a permit by registering here and clicking on the "Residential Parking" tab. Once there, follow the next steps:

• Create an account.
• Provide the required information.
• MPD verifies information and approves the application.
• The resident pays for the permit.
• The permit is active for one year.

There are four types of residential permits, and each household is entitled to two to three permits, depending on which zone you reside in:

• Residential Permit (All non-senior and income exemption residents)
• Senior Residential Permit (Any resident 65yrs or older) fee is automatically provided
• Income Exemption Permit (Any address provided income exemption status by the Detroit Board of Review Department)
• Property Owner Parking Permit (Property owners are entitled to one account)

Residents can get three sub-permit types that allow visitors, caregivers and those offering services to find parking within the Residential Parking Zones.

Visitor Permit

• 30 annual passes (non-renewable until the next year)
• 24-hour activation
• Can be activated in real time or for a future date
• A license plate is entered for each visitor permit used

Caregiver Permit

• Up to 3 permits can be provided annually, with MPD approval to add 3 additional license plates to the zone under the account.
• Examples of potential use are medical provider, parent’s child, or a household service provider such as a cleaning service.

Rental Permit

• A rental car can be temporarily included in the residential zone by the account holder selecting a rental permit. The rental permit draws from existing visitor passes; therefore, a visitor pass must be available. The rental license plate is entered, and the rental contract is uploaded to the account. The rental license plate is automatically active for the time selected. MPD reviews the rental permit and if the rental agreement matches the permit account holder, then the visitor pass is credited back to the account. If not, the account holder is charged for the pass.