On-Street Parking
Read the meters, read the signs. Parking rules are different from place to place.
- All street parking is metered until at least 6pm on Friday and Saturday and some may be metered until 8pm. The meters are free on Sunday. Check the street signs carefully, as most of the street near the hotel is reserved for taxis.
- Bring quarters. Some meters charge $1.00 an hour and some charge $1.25 an hour. (Some meters are operated by the city of Boston, and others are operated by the Massachusetts Port Authority. This is why meters in the same general area could charge different rates and require payment at different times.)
- Most meters are limited to two hours, some (closer to downtown Boston) will let you park for four hours, and a few are limited to 15 minutes. It is illegal to feed your meter past the time limit and you could get a hefty ticket.
- Handicap plate/handicap placard vehicles also have some different rules, depending on who is operating the meter.
- City of Boston meters: Time limits do not apply.
- Massport Meters: Time limits do apply.
- Summer St. has street cleaning every night at midnight so you must move your car by midnight if you park on Summer St.
- Some spots on the “newer” streets like Marina Park Drive do not have individual meters and enforce parking rates 24 hrs a day, so read the parking signs when you park. If you see multi-space meters, these are generally also limited to 2 hours of parking, but they will take credit cards in addition to cash.
Again, check your meter and/or parking signs carefully when you park!