Greater City Providence

Happy Overnight On-Street Parking Night (Federal Hill)

Street parking on Providence's West Side.

It has been over 80 years in coming, but the day is finally here. Providence’s overnight parking program moves from the Pilot stage to actually rolling out citywide.

Starting tonight, residents who have recieved their $100 permit can park on the street (at marked spaces) all night in Ward 13 (Federal Hill and West End). Throughout the spring and early summer the program will roll out to the rest of the city.

Details from the city below and maps, applications, and further information on the City’s website.

Overnight Parking Expansion Coming to Providence

Pilot program to be rolled out across the city through spring and summer.

The City of Providence is expanding its pilot overnight parking program to include other parts of the city. The pilot program’s expansion will be phased-in through the spring and summer, neighborhood by neighborhood, starting in Federal Hill, the West End and South Providence/ Washington Park.

Providence’s ban on overnight parking was established in 1929, when automobiles still shared the streets with horse-drawn carts. More than 80 years later, Providence is one of the only cities of our size in the country that still doesn’t allow overnight parking.

Overnight parking will provide Providence with an economic boost, improve the quality of life for many who live in the city and make Providence a greener city.

Overnight parking is an important source of revenue for the city and will provide the city with a sustainable, annual source of income. These permits are part of the structural reforms Mayor Taveras supports to get Providence on stronger financial ground and position the city for future progress.

At the same time, the new overnight parking policy will ease the hunt for affordable housing and providence an economic boost to property owners and realtors who historically have difficulty finding tenants when they don’t have a driveway or parking lot to offer.

Overnight parking permits are $100 per year, with a limit of two permits per household/unit. Buildings with six units or more will not be eligible for the program unless they can demonstrate a significant hardship (lack of off-street parking). Residents will also have the opportunity to purchase one $25 guest pass per household that can be used up to five times per month. Visitor passes will be available beginning in June.

The pilot overnight parking program will be rolled out across the city according to the following schedule:

  • On April 16, the expanded overnight parking pilot takes effect in all of Wards 13 (Federal Hill, part of the West End)
  • On April 23, overnight parking will take effect in all of Ward 10 (lower South Providence/Washington Park).
  • On April 30, the application period for Wards 15 (Silver Lake and part of Olneyville), 11 (Silver Lake and part of Olneyville) and 9 (South Elmwood) begins, and the week of May 14 overnight parking begins in Wards 15 (Silver Lake and part of Olneyville), 11 (Silver Lake and part of Olneyville) and 9 (South Elmwood).
  • On June 4, the application period for Wards 8(Reservoir, part of the West End), 12(Smith Hill, part of the Valley), 7(Hartford, part of Silver Lake) and 6 (Manton) begins, and the week of June 18 overnight parking begins in Wards 12(Smith Hill, part of the Valley), 7(Hartford, part of Silver Lake) and 6 (Manton).
  • Rollout into the remaining wards and neighborhoods will follow the initial expansion on a timeline to be determined.

Streets in areas designated for overnight parking may opt out of the program by collecting signatures from two thirds of the residents on that street declaring they choose to not participate.

The city’s Parking Administrator will conduct a series of information sessions in affected neighborhoods explain expansion of overnight parking and answer any questions. The first information session was held on April 10 at the WBNA in the West End. Other information sessions are tentatively scheduled as follows:

It’s easy for eligible residents to apply for an overnight parking permit. Simply come to Providence Municipal Court with a valid, original Rhode Island registration that shows the address of a street in the pilot parking area. Municipal Court is located on the first floor of the City of Providence Public Safety Complex, 325 Washington Street, between Dean Street and Service Road #7. Applications can be made Monday through Friday from 8:30AM to 3:00PM.

Any unpaid tickets issued on the vehicle registration must be paid in order to obtain a parking permit. Residents will be required to provide a valid email and/or cell phone number that the city will use to provide parkers with information about parking bans during snow storm and other weather events.

A window sticker will be provided, and must be applied to the upper left hand corner of the rear window. Once the permit sticker is applied, residents can park overnight in a legal spot on a street designated by street signs as an ‘overnight parking’ street. Street signs will read, “NO PARKING 2:00 AM TO 5:00 AM EXCEPT BY RESIDENT PERMIT.”

Residents with overnight parking permits will be advised whenever a snow emergency or other parking ban is declared, and will be responsible or removing their cars from the street for the duration of the ban. Vehicles parked on a designated street from 2- 5AM during a parking ban are subject to a $20 citation.

Jef Nickerson

Jef is Greater City Providence's co-founder, editor, and publisher. He grew up on Cape Cod and lived in Boston; Portland, Maine; and New York before settling in Providence. In addition to urbanism, Jef is interested in art, design, and ice cream. Please feel free to contact Jef if you have any question or comments about Greater City Providence.

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