How to get a resident parking permit

Are you able to upload images? Then you can submit your application using the Parking Permit Application Form. We only accept .jpg, .jpeg, .tif,  or .tiff files.

Parking Permit Application

If you apply online, once approved you'll receive your resident permit in about 10 business days.

Download, print out, and fill out the Resident Parking Permit Application and bring it with you to Boston City Hall.

You need to bring a valid Massachusetts registration. Your registration must show the car is registered and principally garaged in your name at your current Boston address.

You also need to bring valid proof of your Boston residency. For more information on what valid proof is, check the Proof of Boston residency section at the bottom of this page. New college students face the same requirements as new residents.

Bring your application and your information to the Parking Clerk:

1 City Hall Square, Room 224
Boston, MA 02201
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

When you apply in person at City Hall — as long as you have all of your information — you'll get your resident permit that day.

If you have any overdue parking tickets with the City of Boston, you need to pay them. Here's how to pay your tickets.

Please note: To reduce the need for in-person appointments during COVID-19, we are auto-renewing resident parking permits in neighborhoods whose resident parking permits expire in 2021.

• These neighborhoods are: East Boston, Jamaica Plain, South End, Chinatown, Leather District, Roxbury, West Roxbury, Mission Hill, Mattapan, West End, Beacon Hill, and South Boston.
• If you are a resident of these neighborhoods, or if you are a resident with a motorcycle parking permit in any Boston neighborhood, your permits will auto-renew in 2021 for the next 2-year period, until 2023.
• You will not receive and do not need a new physical sticker, as enforcement officers will recognize the stickers as renewed. You will receive a letter in the months ahead of your expiration date in 2021 notifying you of your renewal deadline.
• Residents of these neighborhoods should NOT apply for or make an appointment to renew their permits in 2021. 
• This applies to renewals only. New neighborhood residents and new vehicles still need to obtain a resident parking permit.
• North End resident permits were automatically renewed in November 2020 and will expire in November 2022.

If you need to fill out and submit the Parking Permit Renewal Form, follow the link below:

Parking Permit Renewal

• You must renew your permit four to six weeks before its expiration. You can’t renew online if your permit has expired.
• After completing the application, you'll receive your resident permit in about three to four weeks.

The numbers on your resident permit sticker must match your license plates and the neighborhood where you live. You can’t take your old sticker and put it on a new car.

You can apply online to replace your permit. Complete our "new resident" application when applying:

Parking Permit Application

If you apply online, you'll receive your resident permit in about three to four weeks.

You need a valid Massachusetts car registration that has your correct Boston address and proof of your Boston residency.

• For more information on what valid proof is, check the Proof of Boston residency section at the bottom of this page.

Our office is located at City Hall:

1 City Hall Square, Room 224
Boston, MA 02201
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

We only issue rental car permits for a maximum of 30 days.

You can’t use the online system on weekends. If you pick up your rental after 3 p.m., you will have to wait until the next business day to apply online.

You can dispute Resident Parking Only tickets issued after the close of business. You need to show the Parking Clerk current proof of your Boston residency and a copy of your rental agreement. 

• For more information on what valid proof is, check the Proof of Boston residency section at the bottom of this page.

Fill out and submit the Resident Parking Rental Permit application online. Please remember to upload your rental contract before you submit your application:

Rental permit application

You can also fax a copy of your rental car agreement to the Parking Clerk at this number: 617-635-2104.

• If you don’t already have a resident permit sticker, you need to fax proof of your Boston residency.
• If your fax is sent and we approve it before the close of the business day, you will get the permit the same day. Otherwise, you will get your permit on the next business day.

We will email you a link that lets you print your permit and display it in your rental car. The permit should be placed in the right rear window on the passenger side.

Go to the Office of the Parking Clerk:

1 City Hall Square, Room 224
Boston, MA 02201
COVID-19 office hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

You need to bring your rental agreement. If don’t already have a permit sticker, you must bring proof of your Boston residency. For more information on what valid proof is, check the Proof of Boston residency section at the bottom of this page.

A bill that shows proof of your residency needs to have the same name and address as your rental agreement.