(The Center Square) – A quarter of Seattle streets will soon see an increase in hourly parking rates, with some reaching a new high of $6.50 an hour.
The new parking rates will take effect on Tuesday. Parking rates in Seattle typically change three times a year, in the spring, summer and fall.
The Seattle Department of Transportation aims to have approximately one to two spaces available on each street block at any given time. This helps people more easily access local businesses and other destinations in the city.
Parking rates of $6 or more will be found in the Ballard core, the Fremont neighborhood, Columbia City during the evenings, and parts of the downtown area.
Revenue from on-street parking meters is forecast to be $35.4 million in 2024 and $37.4 million in 2025, a year-over-year increase of $2 million or 5.6%, according to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s 2025-2026 budget.
However, the 2025 forecast represents a drop of $1.8 million relative to the 2024 adopted budget. The reduction reflects lower than assumed increases in 2024 from rate changes compared to recent years, in addition lowered expectations for future rate increases.
The 2024 adopted budget increased the minimum and maximum allowable parking rates, which took effect back in March. That change increased the minimum rate from 50 cents to $1 and the maximum from $5 to $8.
The costliest streets to park in Seattle are Fremont during evening hours and the Pike-Pine street corridor in the downtown area during evening hours. These streets charge $6.50 per hour during evening hours.
A Seattle Department of Transportation press secretary confirmed to The Center Square that all on-street parking pay stations are owned by the city, meaning all collected revenue stays within the city government.
The next expected rate change will be in spring 2025.
