*** COVID-19 UPDATE: Street parking on many parts of Hanover, Salem, Parmenter, Prince and other streets is now outdoor dining. This means a LOSS of A LOT of resident parking spaces!
See the City of Boson’s full COVID-19 parking guidelines here.
But First a Question
Before you read any further, ask yourself this simple question: do I really need a car in Boston?
Some people will absolutely need a car because they commute for work or some similar situation, but if you really think honestly about it, most people will find they don’t really need a car, they just want it.
And wanting a car is perfectly fine, just keep this question in mind as you read below so you can weigh the decision for yourself.
Getting a Resident Parking Permit
A North End/Waterfront Resident Parking Permit Sticker is free and available to anyone who can prove they are a resident of Boston’s North End or Waterfront neighborhoods. This means not only must you be able to prove your own residency in the North End (I will refer to the North End and Waterfront neighborhoods as just the North End here for simplicity), but you must also have your car registered and primarily garaged at your North End address as well.
If you are moving to the North End from out of state, you will need to register yourself as a MA resident, re-register your car in MA and obtain MA auto insurance before you can get a resident parking permit.
In my own experience this was much easier than expected.
Your resident parking permit entitles you to semi-endless (restrictions below) parking on almost any North End street.
Resident parking permits are free and issued from City Hall. Permits are issued annually and must be renewed by the resident. You can learn more and apply for a permit here.
Parking with a Resident Permit
Virtually every street in the North End has resident permit parking, and residents can even park without restriction in visitor spaces, but that doesn’t mean you’ll always find an open space to park in.
In my own experience, I sometimes get the spot in front of my building, and sometimes I drive around endlessly hoping for just one open space anywhere in the neighborhood.
There’s no magic to making sure there is always a space open at your doorstep, so this is where you’ll have to start weighing whether or not it is worth it to have the car in general.
Personally I don’t mind parking across the neighborhood, but ask me again after I’ve been driving around looking for an open space for the past 45 minutes and my attitude may be a little different.
Common Parking Restrictions
Just because you have a resident parking permit doesn’t mean you can just go parking wherever you want whenever you want. You still need to read the signs to avoid parking tickets and getting towed!
Street Sweeping
Street cleaning rules are in effect from March 1 through December 31 in the North End, and the rules apply to everyone, permit or not. This is generally once every other week, for four hours at a time, with the days varying by street. Make sure you read all of the signs when you park because you will get ticketed AND towed (brutal!) if you park in a street sweeping zone at the wrong time.
As a general strategy (from personal experience), try to not have to park your car during a time with a lot of street cleaning restrictions at once. Otherwise you may be stuck looking for an open space for a while, as the options for parking will be even more limited at those times.
Commercial Zones
There are a lot of commercial parking zones in the North End. Hanover, Salem and Prince Streets are notorious for them, but the only real way to make sure you’re not in one is to read the signs! A lot of commercial parking is from 8am-12noon, but this isn’t a rule, so really make sure you read what the sign says.
Valet Parking
Mostly prevalent on Hanover St, valet parking restrictions will be for evening/nighttime parking. And while this isn’t generally to much of an issue, if you see an open space in front of a restaurant at 8pm on a Saturday night, it might be too good to be true. Valet stands will usually be well marked on top of the city signage.
Moving Trucks and Construction
Standard parking signs aren’t the only thing you need to look out for in the North End. Keep your eyes open for moving truck and construction signs as well. These signs may look like something someone bought online and put up themselves, but these are actually enforceable parking signs and you will get towed if you ignore them.
Moving permits are generally for one day from 7am-5pm, but construction signs can limit parking for days or even weeks at a time, so make sure to read carefully!
Snow Emergencies
The only streets that close in the North End during a city declared Snow Emergency are Hanover St, Commercial St and N. Washington St. So if you’ve parked your car on any other North End street, you should be all set to leave your car there (unless otherwise marked).
The city does offer discounted parking rates for North End residents at a few Boston garages during a snow emergency, but it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth going to the financial district to take advantage of it.
You can learn more about snow emergencies and discounted garage options from the City of Boston here.
Help My Car Got Towed!
If you’ve arrived back where you parked your car only to find that it (and every other car on the street) has disappeared, it’s likely you have been towed.
If you know your license plate number, you can find your car online here. And if you prefer using the phone, you can call the Boston police at 617-343-4629 and ask to locate your car.
A tow will run you $108 plus $35 a day until you pick up the car. And that’s before you show up at the tow lot only to find a ticket on your window as well.
Common Tickets and Fines
See at full list from the City of Boston Parking Clerk here.
How to Pay a City of Boston Parking Ticket
Pay Attention to Your Car
There’s always something going on in the North End. It might be the end of summer Feasts, it might be the seemingly endless construction, but whatever it is, it is bound to come with some parking restrictions.
If you decide to park your car on the street with a resident permit in the North End, get in the habit of checking on your car, even if you don’t need to move it. You never know when someone will throw up a last minute moving sign (be careful on 1sts of months) and get you towed while you’re two streets away thinking your car is safe for another week.
Facts of Life
The North End is an old neighborhood, the streets are narrow and the population is dense. Park here long enough and it’s only a matter of time before your car gets scratched, dinged or dented on the street.
This isn’t so much a warning as a simple fact of life.
What About Off-Street Parking?
Unless you live on one of the Wharfs or live in a very small handful of high-end buildings, you will be hard pressed to find off-street parking attached to your building in the North End. Luckily there are tons of parking lots and garages in the North End and almost all of them offer monthly parking rates.
Read all about off-street parking for residents in a separate article here.
