After a series of public forums held from November 2022 through February 2023, and the completion of a Downtown Parking Study (which you may see below,) the City issued new parking regulations in 2024 that include Resident, Business, and Employee permits, as well as new paid parking for non-permit holders in three of the City’s parking lots: the Winter Street, the Thorndike, and the Customs House lots.
Downtown Parking FAQs
This section is to answer some of the frequently asked questions about Downtown Parking. If you do not find the answer here please call us at (207) 594-0300.
Yes. Downtown residents may purchase parking permits that allow for 24-hour parking in the
- Thorndike Parking lot for $25/calendar year
- Winter Street Parking lot for $20/calendar year
Yes. Employees and Business owners may purchase a permit for daytime parking only—not overnight.
- A Thorndike Parking lot permit is $30/calendar year
- A Winter Street Parking lot permit is $20/calendar year
- A Custom House lot permit is $40/Month or $440/calendar year. Please note that there are only 30 spaces available at the Custom House lot
No. Residents must reside within the designated downtown zone
Permits are for a calendar year of January to December. You may purchase a permit at any point during the calendar year
No. metered parking will only be from May through October. For the rest of the year, parking will remain 2-hour free parking
Non-permit-holders can pay for parking through the IPS Pay Stations, which accept multiple payment options including credit/debit cards, coins, and contactless payments with Apple Pay® and Google Pay™. The fee is $2/hour
Yes. Rockland residents will get a code to enter at the IPS Stations which will allow them up to five hours of free parking each month
Yes. Visitors who wish to park long-term may do so at Macdougal Park:
- Maximum stay is 15 days
- No Overnight Camping
- Only the 9 westerly spaces
- Available from May 1 through October 31 only
- Fee of $5/day
- Passenger Vehicles Only – no campers or trailers
No. Parking along Main Street will remain 2-hour free parking from 9 am – 6 pm
An individual or business may not hold more than 7 spots at any time at the Custom House Lot. There are no limits at the Thorndike or Winter Street lots
If you have a permit for the Thorndike or the Winter Street lot, and there are no spots available, you may park in either the
- Winter Street
- Thorndike or
- Oak Street lot
Please note: Only those with a Custom House lot permit may park in the Custom House lot.
If the lot is full, permitted vehicles may park on the Southerly side of Limerock Street between Main and Union Streets (the side closest to the lot), the Westerly side of Court House Place (the side opposite to the lot), and the Southerly side of School Street, between (the side opposite to the lot). The permitted vehicles would be exempt from parking time limits on those streets. Vehicles may not park on those streets during the City’s Winter Parking Ban
Downtown Parking Study
The purpose of the study was to evaluate downtown parking operations, including parking supply and demand, and to recommend changes to parking regulations, policies, and management strategies – that could include expanded paid parking strategies – for the purpose of improving overall downtown parking conditions.
The City contracted with John Burke, a parking and transit consultant, to conduct the study. Mr. Burke is a registered professional engineer (PE) in the State of Maine, and Certified Administrator of Public Parking (CAPP) through the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI). He has served as a Parking & Transportation Director for multiple cities and has prepared parking management plans for several coastal communities in New England including Bar Harbor & Camden, Maine, Newburyport & Plymouth, MA, Portsmouth, NH, and others.
On February 15, 2023, Mr. Burke offered this presentation at a public parking forum, a recording of which is available for viewing here.
