Street Parking

The essentials on street parking in Grand Rapids including: meter locations, enforcement hours, parking costs, and general rules to help you avoid violations. You’ll also find information on accessible parking, holiday meter schedules, electric vehicle charging stations, and permits for food truck parking.

General Rules 

Look for any parking related signage and follow their directions, ex. Meters, No Parking sign or Loading Zone sign. We don't want you to get a ticket. Follow these rules to help keep people safe from harm, park:

  • 3 feet from a driveway
  • 15 feet from fire hydrants
  • 15 feet from or within intersections
  • 20 feet from marked crosswalks
  • 20 feet from railroad tracks
  • 30 feet from a flashing signal, stop sign, or traffic signal

Parking Meter Locations

Use our Parking Meter Map. Find costs, enforcement hours, and parking time limits for each meter.

We monitor meters from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

There are posted signs on meters that are monitored after 7pm or on Saturdays. Most of these parking spaces are located along Monroe Center.

Holidays
We don't enforce meters on holidays, including:

•    New Year's Day
•    Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
•    Presidents' Day
•    Memorial Day
•    Juneteenth
•    Independence Day
•    Labor Day
•    Veterans' Day
•    Thanksgiving Day
•    Day after Thanksgiving
•    Christmas Eve
•    Christmas Day

Street parking costs between $1 and $2.25 per hour.
Check for specific hourly costs on the meter, pay station or on the Motu App.

Pay-by-Phone Call
If you do not have a smartphone, you can also pay by calling Motu at 616-432-2478 and follow the instructions.


Pay at a Pay Station
We have two types of pay stations: pay-by-plate and pay-by space. Pay-by-space areas have blue signs and pay-by-plate have orange signs. Please refer to the links above for a visual guide.  

Use our Parking Meter Map to locate disabled parking meters. You can use these if you have a disability plate or placard. Parking is free when you have the State of Michigan disability placard with a yellow free parking sticker.

Wondering how to obtain a yellow free parking sticker? Visit the Secretary of State’s website to learn more and apply.

We offer electric vehicle charging stations on Ottawa Ave in front of City Hall. These are metered spaces.

Food trucks need a permit based on the location they intend on parking at. Learn more in the Food Truck Guide

Reserve Parking Meters

Reserve parking meter spaces for moving, deliveries, or special events. We place No Parking covers on the meters during your reserved dates and times to ensure the space is available. Meter reservations are limited to approved uses and are not allowed for everyday personal parking.

Reserve Parking Meters

  • Reservations for personal parking spaces are not granted. 
  • Reservations are on a first come, first serve basis. 
  • New requests must be submitted at least two (2) business days before the date of the reservation. 
  • A Temporary Occupancy Permit (TOP) is required for any non-plated vehicle or object to remain in the public right-of-way for short-term private use, such as dumpsters, moving pods, construction equipment, lifts, etc. 

Submit this application at least two (2) business days before your reservation start date. This gives us time to reserve the space or get back to you if there are any issues with your request. 

You can find meter numbers displayed on each meter itself, or you can use our Parking Meter Interactive Map. 

  • If plans change, we can cancel or change the dates of your reservation. If you don't let us know, we'll have to bill you for your requested reservations.
  • Fees are charged for every day requested, this includes weekends.
  • Fees: 
    •  $10 application fee
    •  $23 per meter, per day.

Apply Online

Print the permit you receive and place it in your front window on the curbside of your vehicle. A company logo must also be displayed in the front window of vehicle when parking at reserved meters.

If you have any questions or are unable to complete the online application, please contact a Customer Service agent by calling 311 or visit us at 50 Ottawa Ave NW in Grand Rapids. 

Contact Mobile GR

Phone 311 or 616.456.3000

Fax 616.456.4322

24/7 Courtesy Parking Service 616.456.3290

Email mobilegr@grcity.us

Location 50 Ottawa NW