Paid Parking To Return To Leesburg In March After Year-Long Pause

LEESBURG, VA — The Town of Leesburg will resume charging residents for parking in downtown areas, starting on March 1. Last year, Leesburg did not charge for downtown parking as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release from the town.

The reinstituted parking rates will apply to more than 300 spaces in the Town Hall parking garage and about 70 metered parking spaces on the street in downtown Leesburg. The town will also resume all other parking enforcement activities on March 1, authorities said.

Last year, Leesburg stopped parking enforcement and charges for parking in downtown. The change was made to avoid having people touch parking meters and payment kiosks during the pandemic. Officials said in a news release that the original decision was also in an effort to support downtown businesses.

Parking at the Town Hall Garage will still be free for the first two hours, the news release said. Visitors will be charged $1 for each hour after that, with a maximum charge of $10.

Drivers at the Town Hall garage should keep their parking ticket with them and use it to pay at a kiosk on their way out. The garage's exit kiosks accept credit and debit payments, and a kiosk by its elevators accepts cash.

In the 2021 fiscal year, the Town of Leesburg projects $552,000 in revenue from parking and traffic fines, according to the town's budget. This projection is an increase of almost $100,000 over the previous year's projection.

Detailed information about parking permits and meters is available on the town's website. Drivers can also pay parking tickets on the site.