City of Boulder parking changes take effect Jan. 1, 2022

On-street paid parking will be $1.50 per hour

In October, Boulder City Council approved parking changes that are an outcome of the city's multi-year Access Management & Parking Strategy (AMPS) project, including changes to parking fees, fines, permits. Several of these changes take effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

On-street paid parking will be $1.50 per hour, an increase of 25 cents per hour, Mondays through Saturdays in paid parking districts.

Short-term parking lasting 15 minutes or less will be free on-street, once per day per vehicle, by starting a parking session at a pay station or using the ParkMobile app. Both options require your license plate information. Also, if you enter and exit any of the city downtown garages in less than 15 minutes, your parking will be free.

Parking in city downtown garages continues to be an economical and time-saving option with the hourly parking rate remaining at $1.25 per hour and no longer increasing to $2.50 per hour after four hours. Alternatively, a daily flat rate of $15 will be charged for stays longer than six hours. The $3 flat rate for vehicles entering and exiting between 3 p.m. and 3 a.m. on weekdays will also continue. This evening rate is intended to provide downtown swing shift workers with a more affordable parking option. Additionally, free parking on weekends and city holidays continues in the city’s parking garages.

“These changes are being implemented in pursuit of a more dynamic management strategy to improve the parking and access experience in Boulder,” said Cris Jones, deputy director of the city’s Community Vitality Department. “We understand that there are many reasons that bring people in their vehicles to the most popular areas of the city, and we want to help everyone find the space they need to park at a reasonable price. For longer term visits, or if you don’t know how long your vehicle will need to be parked, we encourage people to park once in city owned garages rather than searching on-street for limited spaces that are more expensive and time restricted.”

Changes in January include a fine increase for parking violations, bringing Boulder in line with surrounding jurisdictions and best practices to improve access and safety.

Fines for specific mobility safety violations, like blocking a driveway or bike lane, will increase to $60 while all other parking related fines will increase to $30 for a first violation; $45 for a second violation; and $60 for a third violation and all subsequent violations. These fine increases will re-set back to $30 when parkers are able to avoid a violation for a year. “We understand that people make mistakes and typically provide a warning for first violations.” said Jones, “With these graduated fines, we hope to focus our enforcement strategy on repeat offenders and help change their behavior.”

Lastly, at the city’s 1500 Pearl parking garage, four new, fast-charging electric vehicle (EV) charging stations will be available in early 2022. At these new charging stations, an EV will be able to get a full charge in as little as 30 minutes.

For more information, please visit the city’s parking webpage. For specific questions, please contact Parking Services at parkingservices@bouldercolorado.gov