Parking in Boston

Can you park on this Boston block — and for how long? Here's how the city's meters, street sweeping and permit zones work, plus local tips — and you can check your exact address free.

What to know about parking in Boston

Boston street parking is notoriously scarce, with permit-only residential blocks covering most neighborhoods and demand far outstripping spaces. It's hardest in the North End, Beacon Hill, and Back Bay — dense, historic areas with narrow streets and premium meter rates — while parts of the South End have slightly more resident spaces.

💡 Boston resident parking permits are issued at no cost, letting residents park free on most neighborhood streets year-round (subject to cleaning, snow, and meter rules).

Local tips for parking in Boston

• Get a resident parking permit — it's issued free to residents and lets you park on most neighborhood streets, but it does NOT override street cleaning, meters, or snow emergencies.
• Learn your block's street-cleaning day: the program runs April 1 through November 30 for most areas (the North End, South End, and Beacon Hill run on separate schedules).
• During declared snow emergencies, never park on a posted snow-emergency artery — those cars are ticketed and towed first.
• Prime areas like the North End, Beacon Hill, and Back Bay carry the highest meter rates, so budget more or park a few blocks out and walk.
• Your resident permit is tied to one vehicle and registration and can't be lent to another car, so don't rely on a friend's sticker.

Common Boston parking mistakes to avoid

• Street cleaning is enforced hard from April through November — a missed sweeping sign means a ticket and sometimes a tow.
• A tow costs about $108 plus roughly $35 per day of storage, on top of the ticket.
• Snow-emergency arteries clear fast once an emergency is declared — resident permits give you no protection there.

How to pay for parking in Boston

Boston's on-street meters are paid with ParkBoston — enter the zone number posted on the meter or pole, or pay at the kiosk. Open ParkBoston →

What LegitPark shows for Boston

LegitPark reads all of this per block from official city data (and driver-scanned signs) so you don't have to decode the pole.

Parking rules on every Boston street

Even where the posted rules vary, these state-law basics apply almost everywhere:

• 🚒
  Fire hydrant
  No parking within 15 ft (10 ft in some states) of a hydrant.
• 🚸
  Crosswalk & corner
  No parking on a crosswalk or within ~20 ft of one at an intersection.
• 🛑
  Stop sign & signal
  No parking within ~30 ft of a stop sign, yield, or traffic light.
• 🚗
  Driveways
  Never block a driveway — public or private — even partially.
• 🟥
  Painted curb
  Red = no stopping. Yellow = active loading only. White = quick pick-up/drop-off.
• 🚌
  Bus stop & transit
  No parking in a marked bus stop, transit zone, or taxi stand.
• 🚲
  Bike lane
  No stopping or parking in a bike lane at any time.
• ♿
  Accessible spaces
  Never use a disabled space or block its access aisle/ramp without a valid placard.
• ↔️
  Direction & distance
  Park with traffic, within ~12 in of the curb; no double-parking.
• 🚂
  Blocked zones
  No parking on a sidewalk, in an intersection, on a bridge, or within 50 ft of a rail crossing.

Boston parking FAQ

Check your exact Boston spot

Rules change block to block. Drop a pin or search your address and LegitPark shows the meter, time limit, street-sweeping and permit rules for that spot.