Parking meter rates and regulations vary by location. Check the digital display on the meter to confirm the rate.

• Passenger vehicle parking rates range from $1.25 to $7.50 per hour
• Commercial vehicle parking rates range from $5 to $8 per hour

Learn more about parking meter rates.

Theater District

The theater district parking meters are available for public parking from 6 PM to 7 AM. 

• From 6 PM to midnight, the parking rate is $3 per hour.
• From midnight to 7 AM, parking at these meters is free.
• From 7 AM to 6 PM, only commercial vehicles are allowed to park, and the meters have an escalating rate.   

There are no City-owned parking garages located in the theatre district, but on-street parking is available:

• From 33rd to 59th Streets from 2nd to 9th Avenues
• From 6 PM to midnight on weekdays and from 8 AM to midnight on weekends
• For $3 per hour, which can be paid at parking meters with quarters or dollar coins, the NYC Parking Card, or debit and credit cards

After you pay at the meter, it will issue a receipt showing the time you purchased to park there. You can also use the receipt to park at another parking meter in the City.

• In Pay-N-Retain facilities, officers get data directly from the machines. You should keep your receipt as proof of payment, as well as a reminder of when to return to your car. If you lose your receipt, you can't get another copy of it.
• In Pay-N-Display facilities, motorists must display the receipt on their vehicle's dashboard so enforcement officers can easily read the parking expiration time through the front window. Motorcycle owners are responsible for finding a way to comply with the requirement posted on the meter.

Displaying Receipts on Motorcycles

To prevent theft or damage to the receipt, the Department of Transportation (DOT) recommends that you use a clear plastic holder attached to your motorcycle with a lock or other device. Devices made for this purpose can be found in specialty stores. 

An illustration of such a device and other information about parking meters are available online.

Learn more about parking meters.

Parking Grace Period

Drivers have a 5-minute grace period for parking meter and Alternate Side Parking zones. The law gives drivers an extra 5 minutes past the expired time on the parking meter receipt and Alternate Side Parking signs. During the grace period, parking tickets cannot be issued.

A parking meter with a credit card logo will accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover Network cards for payment.

After you insert a card for payment, the digital readout will indicate that a bank authorization is in progress. If the bank authorizes payment, the digital readout will indicate that payment has been approved, and the meter should issue a parking receipt. 

If the bank does not authorize payment, the digital readout will read "unreadable card," "not paid," or "not accepted," and the meter will not issue a receipt. The credit or debit card account will not be charged. You can use coin payment to get a receipt from the same meter or try your card at a different meter on the same block.

Parking meters accept payment 1 hour before meter regulations begin. In areas that offer mobile payment for parking, you may also pay ahead using the ParkNYC app or a web browser.

To pay ahead at a meter, you can purchase a receipt 1 hour before meter regulations begin and pay only for the time you park during hours when parking meter regulations are in effect.

For example, if meter regulations begin at 9 AM, you can purchase a receipt as early as 8 AM to pay for parking from 9 AM onward in accordance with the parking and meter regulations at the location where you want to park.

To learn more about the ParkNYC app, go to the ParkNYC Parking Payment page.

You can request a refund for a parking meter that may have a payment problem. 

If you paid by credit or debit card, review your payment history to confirm that your card was charged for the transaction in question. Often, financial institutions post charges after the date of the actual transaction.

Refund requests must be made in writing and include:

• Date and time of the incident
• Parking meter number
• Parking meter location
• Description of the problem
• Copy of the meter receipt, if available
• Documentation showing overpayment, such as a copy of the credit card statement, if applicable 

Send your request and supporting documents to:

DOT Parking Administration
Muni-Meter Refunds
34-02 Queens Boulevard
Long Island City, NY 11101

What Happens Next

The Department of Transportation (DOT) will investigate your claim and send you a letter of determination.

You can park at meters without depositing money on Sundays and the following major legal holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

If you try to pay during these times, your payment will be rejected. The meter will display a "Meter Off, Read Posted Signs" message.

All parking regulations, other than parking meters, remain in effect as posted.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has changed signs throughout the City to reflect the current rules, but some signs may still display the old regulation.

When a parking meter is out of service, it will flash a red light and the display message will read "machine out of order." You must use a functional parking meter on the same block or the next block to purchase a parking receipt. In a parking field, purchase a parking receipt from the nearest meter to the broken one.

If all parking meters on the block, on the next block, or in the parking field are all broken or missing, New York City law allows you to park for the maximum amount of time posted for that metered space. Make sure to document the date, time, and meter numbers in case you need to dispute a parking ticket.

The Department of Transportation's PARK Smart program was created to free up parking spaces, increase public safety, and reduce double parking, pollution, and congestion.

By using peak and off-peak meter rates, motorists are encouraged to limit their parking time and travel during off-peak hours.

All PARK Smart meters can be identified by the PARK Smart logo and a yellow zone cap at the top of the meter. PARK Smart meters will accept City Parking Cards, credit cards, and quarters.

For the Greenwich Village, Manhattan PARK Smart meter rates are:

• $5 per hour ($1 for 12 minutes) from 6 PM to 10 PM; and 
• $3.50 per hour for all other times.

For the Park Slope, Brooklyn PARK Smart meter rates are:

• $2 per hour (50 cents for 15 minutes) from 12 PM to 7 PM; and
• $1 per hour for all other times            

All other parking regulations in the area remain the same according to posted time periods and duration. You will find the parking rate for a specific street location posted on the meters for that street.

Learn more about parking meter rates.