Park a Car in Cambridge Skip to Footer Official websites use .gov .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS lock ) or means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. I Want To > Park a Car in Cambridge Whether you live in Cambridge or are just visiting, you may need to park a car. This page provides information about the different types of parking available in Cambridge. Get a Parking Permit Most residential streets are designated “Parking by Permit Only." To park in these areas, you must have a permit. Pay or Dispute a Parking Ticket There are multiple ways to pay a parking ticket. If you believe the ticket is invalid, you may submit a dispute. Get the Street Cleaning Schedule DPW mechanically sweeps each street twice a month, April through December. You must move your car to avoid ticketing and towing. Look for a Towed Vehicle If you believe that your vehicle was towed, use our Towed Vehicle Lookup to get more information. Request a Disability Parking Space If you have a disability placard or plate, you may request a disability parking space in front of your home. Visit the Snow Center When a snow emergency is declared, a number of garages around Cambridge offer reduced rate parking. Parking Meters, Garages, and Lots You'll find parking meters throughout Cambridge. In addition to metered parking, City of Cambridge manages two parking garages and nine parking lots. Find more information about costs and locations below. Looking for electric vehicle chargers? Each garage or lot marked with [EV] has two dedicated parking spaces and one charging station that can charge two cars with a level 2 charge at the same time. City-owned stations charge a rate of $0.189 per kWh drawn and $0.15 per hour. Standard parking fees still apply. More City-owned EV Charging Stations: In addition to chargers at the lots and garages listed below, Cambridge is installing a network of EV charging stations in other locations. Click here for the latest list Parking Meters General In locations with parking meters, there are signs which indicate: the dates and times that the meter is in effect, and the maximum allowable time limit that you may park at the meter. When in a location that has metered parking and during a time when the meter is in effect, you must: comply with all other regulations, including street sweeping and temporary parking restrictions, pay the meter via U.S. quarters or by using the PayByPhone or Passport Parking App. leave the zone once you’ve reached the posted time limit.  You may not move your vehicle to another space within the same zone or pay more money to get additional time. Payment Details There are three options for paying at Cambridge parking meters: coins, Passport Parking, or PayByPhone. Pay with coins Pay with Passport Parking or PayByPhone There is a fee for each transaction made with Passport Parking or ayByPhone This fee is in addition to Cambridge’s parking meter fee Download the Passport Parking app here or pay online here. Download the PayByPhone app for Google Play or Apple , or pay online here Make sure that you enter your license plate number, car description, and the zone number correctly. Vehicles displaying a valid accessible/disability plate or placard do not have to pay to park at meters. The placard/plate number and expiration date must be visible Payments are not required on Sundays and Commonwealth of Massachusetts holidays, Broken Meters You may not park at a broken meter without paying. If you believe that a meter is broken, you must pay via one of the parking applications listed above or park at another meter. Understanding When Meters are In Effect Signs at meters that say "Except" during certain hours and days, mean that the meters and the maximum time limit are not in effect on those days or during those times. For example, a sign that says "2-HR Parking, 8AM - 6PM, Except Sat & Sun" means: you must pay to park there Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., you may only park for up to two hours. Outside of the posted time, you may park for more than two hours and you do not have to pay the meter. Other signs (e.g., street sweeping) may require you to move your vehicle. Otherwise, if you have a Resident Parking Permit, you may park for the entire time that the meters are not in effect. If you do not have a Resident Permit, you are still required to move your vehicle every 24 hours. Parking Lots The City of Cambridge manages nine parking lots. See their locations on the public parking map How to Pay at Parking Lots There are three options for paying at most Cambridge parking lots: pay stations, Passport Parking, or PayByPhone . At Lot 12 on Macarelli Way, you can also pay with coins Pay at a pay station: Use a pay station to pay with most major debit or credit cards. Pay stations are pay-by-plate, which means that you can pay and go. You do not need to display a receipt in your window. Pay with Passport Parking or PayByPhone There is a fee for each transaction made with Passport Parking or PayByPhone . This fee is in addition to Cambridge’s parking meter fee Download the Passport Parking app here or pay online here. Download the PayByPhone app for Google Play or Apple , or pay online here Make sure that you enter your license plate number, car description, and the zone number correctly. Vehicles displaying a valid accessible/disability plate or placard do not have to pay to park in City parking lots. The placard/plate number and expiration date must be visible. Parking Rates and Time Limits Payments are required Monday through Saturday, except for holidays, during the hours listed below. No payment is required for vehicles that have a visible disability plate or placard. You may only park in the lot for the posted amount of time (2 hours or 4 hours). If your vehicle is parked in a lot for longer than the posted time limit, we will issue a ticket for an overtime violation. You may not move to a new space to get additional time. Harvard Square - Lot 2 110 Mt. Auburn Street 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.   | 2-hour maximum | $3.00 per hour 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. | 4-hour maximum | $3.00 per hour Central Square - Lot 4 and Lot 5 [EV] Lot 4: 96 Bishop Allen Drive Lot 5: 84 Bishop Allen Drive [EV charging available] 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.   | 2-hour maximum | $1.25 per hour 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. | 4-hour maximum | $2.00 per hour Central Square - Lot 6 36 Bishop Allen Drive 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.   | 4-hour maximum | $1.25 per hour 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. | 4-hour maximum | $2.00 per hour Central Square - Lot 8 [EV] and Lot 9 [EV] Lot 8: 375 Green Street [ EV charging available] Lot 9: 9 Pleasant Street EV charging available] 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.   | 2-hour maximum | $1.25 per hour 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. | 4-hour maximum | $2.00 per hour Wellington-Harrington (Windsor Street at Cambridge Street) - Lot 11 984 Cambridge Street 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 2-hour maximum | $1.25 per hour Note: Cambridge residents with Resident Parking Permits do not have to pay for parking after 6 p.m. in this lot. Wellington-Harrington (Macarelli Way) - Lot 12 [EV] Macarelli Way / 9 Warren Street EV charging available] 08 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 4-hour maximum | $0.50 per hour Inman Square - Lot 14 15 Springfield Street 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.   | 2-hour maximum | $1.25 per hour 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. | 4-hour maximum | $2.00 per hour First Street Garage (East Cambridge) General Information Entrance: Across from 10 Spring St, Cambridge, MA ; Height clearance: 7 feet 3 inches You may pay with cash or major debit or credit cards. Partial hours are rounded up to the next whole hour. If you lose your ticket, you must show identification and pay the maximum day rate ($30.00) in order to exit the garage. The garage is open 24/7. The business hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The garage is owned by the City of Cambridge and operated by Republic Parking Systems. [EV] You may charge an electric vehicle in this garage. Contact: You may contact the garage office at 617-349-4754. Day Rate up to 1 hour - $4.00 1-2 hours - $6.00 2-3 hours - $8.00 3-4 hours - $10.00 4-5 hours - $12.00 5-6 hours - $14.00 6-7 hours - $16.00 7-8 hours - $19.00 8-9 hours - $22.00 9-24 hours - $30.00 Night and Weekend Rate Nights: Enter after 5 p.m. and exit by 6 a.m. Weekends: All day Saturday and Sunday Up to 2 hours - $2.00 per hour 2-24 hours - $5.00 Reduced Fee Monthly Parking for Residents Cambridge residents may apply for monthly parking at the First Street Garage. Monthly Parking Application Fees One-time fee for access card - $10.00 (replacement fee: $10.00) May through November - $100.00 per month December through April - $50.00 per month Eligibility In order to be eligible you must: Have a current Resident parking Permit Pay all outstanding parking tickets Rules The monthly payment is due before the first of the month. Failure to pay or late payment will result in the access card being disabled, and you will be responsible for paying the full garage daily maximum rate for each day your vehicle is parked in the garage after the first of the month. Vehicles cannot be left in the garage for more than one week without exiting the garage. Requests for parking in the garage longer than a week must be submitted in writing including the reason, duration, and emergency contact information. You are responsible for making sure your vehicle is in safe condition and is not a hazard to other users of the garage (e.g., not leaking fluids, and not unable to be driven). You are responsible for all items left in your vehicle. Your vehicle must have a valid, up-to-date inspection sticker, registration, and resident parking permit. If you do not comply with the rules, your vehicle will considered an abandoned vehicle (G.L. c.90 Sec22B) and towed at your expense. Green Street Garage (Central Square) General Information Entrance: 260 Green St, Cambridge, MA ; Height clearance: 6 feet 8 inches You may pay with cash or major debit or credit cards. Partial hours are rounded up to the next whole hour. If you lose your ticket, you must show identification and pay the maximum day rate ($30.00) in order to exit the garage. The garage is open 24/7. The business hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Phone Number: You may contact the garage office at 617-349-4758. The garage is owned by the City of Cambridge and operated by Republic Parking Systems. Day Rate up to 1 hour - $4.00 1-2 hours - $8.00 2-3 hours - $10.00 3-4 hours - $12.00 4-5 hours - $16.00 5-8 hours - $18.00 8-9 hours - $20.00 9-12 hours - $22.00 12-24 hours - $30.00 Night Rate Enter after 6 p.m. and exit by 7 a.m. Up to 4 hours - $2.00 per hour Over 4 hours - $9.00 Weekend Rate 7 a.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Monday Up to 6 hours - $2.00 per hour 6 to 24 hours - $13.00 Parking Holidays (Lots and Meters) Payments are not required at City of Cambridge parking meters and parking meter pay stations on the following Commonwealth of Massachusetts holidays. Payments are required in Garages every day of the year. New Year's Day - January 1 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Third Monday in January Presidents' Day - Third Monday in February Patriots' Day - Third Monday in April Memorial Day - Last Monday in May Juneteenth - June 19 Independence Day - July 4 Labor Day - First Monday in September Indigenous Peoples' Day - Second Monday in October Veterans Day - November 11 Thanksgiving Day - Fourth Thursday in November Christmas Day - December 25 Under state law, all holidays falling on Sunday are observed on Monday. Public Parking Map The Public Parking Map below includes information about location and other key details about our parking meters, lots, garages, and disability parking spaces in commercial areas. Please note that meter locations may change in between map updates. Instructions: Click the ">>" button to expand the legend. Use the "+" and "-" buttons to zoom in and out on the map. Type an address in the box at the top left to zoom in on a specific location. Click on a rectangle to get more information about each metered parking space. Click on a circle to get more information about each lot or garage. View larger map Contact Department of Transportation 617-349-4700 Email us Visit Website 344 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02139 Hours of Service Mon: 8:30AM - 8PM Tue - Thu: 8:30AM - 5PM Fri: 8:30AM - 12PM Accessibility Statement The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at tpt@cambridgema.gov , 617-349-4700 (voice), or via relay at 711. How can we help? Please provide as much detail below as possible so City staff can respond to your inquiry: Description: Name: Email: As a governmental entity, the Massachusetts Public Records Law applies to records made or received by the City. 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