Newport Parking Season Starts May 1

NEWPORT, RI—May 1 means parking season starts in Newport. It lasts until Oct. 31. According to police, metered parking will be in effect from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week, including holidays. Here is the inside story.

Newport's Parking Meters

1. The fee for the meters on Memorial Boulevard at Easton’s Beach is $2 per hour. Beach parking inside the lot is by a permit or by payment at the gate. Keep in mind the beach lot does not operate on the same schedule as the meters. The lot usually opens on Memorial Day weekend and closes on Labor Day, but the meters on Memorial Boulevard keep ticking from May 1 until Oct. 31. Credit cards and coins work in these meters.

2. The rate at the Touro Street and Long Wharf lots and Narragansett Ave. is $1.25 per hour in 1 hour increments. The Pay & Display units (located at the Touro Street Lot and Long Wharf Lot and a Pay-by-Plate unit located on Narragansett Avenue near the Forty Steps) accept credit cards, bills and coins.

3. Otherwise, the fee for parking in a metered space is $1.25 per hour in increments of twenty-five cents. All city meters accept credit cards or coins.

Parking Lots (See Resident Stickers Below for 3 Hours Free Parking)

1. The Gateway Visitor’s Center Parking Lot will be open from 8 a.m. to midnight beginning May 1. But this parking lot will operate as flat fee, pay-on-entry parking lot with weekday rates of $10 and weekend rates $20, due to a delay in the arrival of the new lot equipment. Sometime in June when the new equipment is installed, the regular parking rates will be $2 for the first half hour and $1.50 for each subsequent half hour.

2. The Mary Street Parking Lot operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Effective this season, Mary Street is a self-pay, pay and display parking lot. The rates are $3 per hour, $20 per day and $30 for overnight. Pay Stations are located in the center of the parking lot adjacent to the restroom.

Resident Sticker

A Resident sticker does not permit residents to park for free at metered spaces or at the beach. City residents with a valid resident sticker are entitled to up to three (3) hours of free parking once per day in the Gateway and Mary Street lots. The Residential Parking Program is in effect from May 1 through October 1. Parking is restricted in designated areas to vehicles displaying residential permits, a general visitor pass or temporary residential parking permit. Signage in each area will detail the parking restrictions for that area. Resident Stickers are available in the Collections Office at City Hall.

Beach Stickers

The beach sticker has to be purchased separately. It's good at Easton's Beach only. (The other big beaches are in Middletown.) Newport residents pay $40 for the season, but Seniors 65 and up pay only $25. (To get the special deals, residents and seniors must show a valid driver's license and a valid registration on their applications.) Non-residents pay $80; non-resident seniors pay $45.

For Further Info

Information concerning the Residential Parking Program is articulated in Chapter 10.32 of the City’s Code of Ordinances available on the City’s web page at www.cityofnewport.com. Question concerning the city’s parking lots and metered parking should be directed to the Transportation Supervisor at 401 845-5712. Questions concerning parking in general or the city’s parking regulations should be directed to Sgt. Jonathan Cortes at 401-845-5717 or jcortes@cityofnewport.com