Beta
Parking permits and zones
Seattle has 45 Restricted Parking Zones. Standard permit rate is $95 per 2-year cycle — not annual, not prorated. Match-day temporary signs near Lumen Field override your permit during the 2026 FIFA window (six match dates in June and July).
Step one
Find your zone before anything else
Seattle has 45 RPZs — numbered 1 through 35 plus Zones A and B — each with its own rate, hours of enforcement, and rules. Many zones have sub-areas with different pricing. The fastest way to find which one covers your address is SDOT's RPZ Address Lookup Tool linked from the program hub.
Vehicle permits are now digital — the license plate is stored electronically and enforced via license-plate recognition (LPR) cameras. Guest and short-term permits remain physical hangtags. No decals get mailed for resident permits.
If you live in a zone
Cost, application, and what you need
Cost
- Standard rate: $95 per 2-year cycle. Not annual. Not prorated. All permits in a zone expire on the same date.
- Income-eligible reduced rate: $10. See the documentation list at the bottom of this section.
- Per-vehicle pricing scales by zone. The first vehicle is cheapest; the second, third, and fourth climb toward $95. Some zones charge $0 for the first vehicle.
- Each address is eligible for up to 4 resident permits plus 1 guest permit.
- Some zones near major institutions (hospitals, universities, light rail stations) are subsidized — rates can be lower than $95. Check the cost table for your specific zone.
Application
- Apply at the Seattle Services Portal (create a profile first; look up your address; submit the application).
- On submit, a 28-day temporary permit is emailed immediately as a printable PDF — use it while the application processes.
- After successful processing, a 15-day temporary permit is emailed to use until either your digital permit activates or your hangtag arrives by mail.
- If 10 days pass after processing and your permit hasn't arrived, call SDOT at (206) 684-5086.
Documents you'll need
One residency document, dated within the last 30 days, showing your name and the RPZ address. SDOT accepts:
- Lease or rental agreement (recently signed)
- Forms showing recent purchase of property
- Utility bills
- Cell phone bill
- Bank statements
- Cable bill
- Paycheck stub
- A bill with the USPS yellow-sticker forward from your previous address
- Any other official (not hand-written) and dated document
Plus a current Washington State vehicle registration in your name at the RPZ address. Out-of-state registration is accepted only for active-duty military or out-of-state students with proof of non-resident status.
Renewal
SDOT mails a renewal letter approximately 6 weeks before your zone's expiration. The letter itself counts as proof of residency for renewal — no need to gather fresh documents. Fastest path: log into the Seattle Services Portal → My Records → find the about-to-expire RPZ License → Renew.
Honest take: An RPZ permit doesn't guarantee you a parking space. Seattle issues more permits than there are spaces in some zones. The permit changes the time-limit rule that applies to your car — not whether a space is available.
If someone is staying with you
Three permit types — which one fits
Visitor parking in an RPZ has three official routes. The right one depends on how often your visitors come and whether they need to park overnight, for the day, or for a month.
Guest Permit
$95 per 2-year cycle
- Matches your zone's 1st-vehicle rate where applicable.
- One per household per cycle.
- Physical hangtag; transferable vehicle-to-vehicle.
- Best for: visitors who come regularly — family, ongoing house-sitter, partner who's often over.
1-Day Short-Term
$1 each
- Available in all zones except A and B.
- Up to 5 per day, 50 per year per address.
- Usable by residents and visitors.
- Best for: irregular visitors, weekend guests, last-minute drop-ins.
60-Day Short-Term
$25 per 60-day period
- Maximum 2 consecutive periods.
- Designed for the window while updating vehicle registration to an eligible address.
- Usable by residents and visitors.
- Best for: new residents whose car is still out-of-state-registered.
Honest take: The 1-Day Short-Term permit at $1 each (5 per day, 50 per year per address) is the most underused permit in the program. Friends staying for a weekend? Family visiting for a week? Buy a stack of $1 dailies — it's cheaper than the $95 Guest Permit if visits are irregular.
If you get a ticket
How to dispute a parking ticket
Most contested parking citations end with a reduced fine, a payment plan, or a dismissal — magistrates do listen. The main thing is the 30-day window from when the ticket was placed on your car (33 days if it was mailed). After that, the case closes and options narrow.
- Step 1Look up your citation at the Find My Ticket Info tool to confirm the ticket details before deciding which path to take.
- Step 2Choose your path within 30 days (33 if the ticket was mailed to you): Mitigation (admit + explain) or Contested (deny + fight).
- Step 3Submit your hearing request online via the Hearing Request Form, in person at 600 5th Avenue, by mail to PO Box 34987, Seattle WA 98124-4987, or by phone at (206) 684-5600 (M-Tu 8 AM–5 PM, W-F 9 AM–5 PM).
- Step 4Attend the hearing. Mitigation goes before a magistrate (decision is final, no appeal). Contested includes a pre-hearing settlement conference (skippable via waiver). Upload evidence to the Public Portal or email CourtCalendar.SMC@seattle.gov.
- Step 5Possible outcomes: dismissed, reduced, or upheld. Payment plans are available under RCW 46.63.190 for both hearing types if cost is the concern.
Lumen Field, T-Mobile Park, FIFA 2026
Parking around the stadiums on event days
The six FIFA World Cup matches at Lumen Field land on June 15, 19, 24, 26 and July 1, 6, 2026. Lumen Field sits at 800 Occidental Ave. S, next to T-Mobile Park, and the streets around both venues get re-marked for events.
If you have an RPZ permit nearby
- Match-day temporary no-parking and tow-zone signs override RPZ permits. The streets around Lumen and T-Mobile Park get re-marked for events.
- Obey the posted signs even if you hold a valid permit.
- SDOT publishes match-day street closures closer to event dates. Check /world-cup (Seattle.net's live World Cup hub) and SDOT alerts as match days approach.
If you're driving to a match
- Lumen Field Parking Garage — 330 S Royal Brougham Way.
- North Lot Garage — 521 Stadium Pl S.
- Both lots open at 6 AM on event days and close 2 hours post-event.
- Event-day pricing varies; check the Lumen events calendar before driving in.
The transit-first option
- Link Light Rail to Stadium Station — one stop south of Westlake; the station is steps from the stadium.
- 15+ Metro routes stop within 3 blocks of Lumen.
- Sounder from Lakewood or Everett to King Street Station — about one football field from Lumen.
- ST Express buses connect downtown hubs to the stadium area.
- Seattle Streetcar First Hill Line feeds in from Capitol Hill.
Honest take: Even with an RPZ permit, match-day temporary no-parking signs override your permit. The streets around Lumen get re-marked for events; obey the signs. Tow trucks run, and your $95/2-year permit doesn't help once your car's gone.
Edge cases
Rules that don't fit the main flow
- 72-hour citywide rule. No vehicle (permit or not) may park on a Seattle street more than 72 consecutive hours. Report abandoned cars to Seattle Police non-emergency at (206) 625-5011 or via Find It, Fix It.
- Disabled placards and plates. Park in RPZs up to the 72-hour citywide limit; no separate RPZ permit needed.
- Motorcycles and scooters. Don't need RPZ permits. They park with the same privileges as permit holders.
- Business permits. NOT issued in Capitol Hill, First Hill, South Lake Union, Eastlake, Fremont, Roosevelt, or Uptown. ARE issued in Southeast Seattle Link Light Rail zones (16, 28, 29, 30, 31). Other neighborhoods are case-by-case per SDOT criteria.
- Special overlap zones (7, 21, 24, 25). These four zones overlap with paid-parking blocks. An RPZ permit can be used in lieu of paying at a pay station on certain blocks. Zone 25 covers the Westlake paid area specifically.
- Vehicle title transfer from out of state. WA-DOL fee is $12 to add your name to the title at a WA address. Needed if your car is currently registered out of state and you want a permanent (non-short-term) RPZ permit.
Direct lines
The numbers you'll use most
SDOT's RPZ line handles permits; Seattle Municipal Court handles citations and appeals. They're separate operations — different phone numbers, different buildings.
| Purpose | Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SDOT RPZ help | (206) 684-5086 | rpzinfo@seattle.gov · M–F 8:30 AM–4:30 PM |
| Seattle Services Portal | services.seattle.gov | Apply or renew online |
| Seattle Municipal Court | (206) 684-5600 | Citations + appeals |
| Court — in person | 600 5th Avenue, Seattle | Walk-in counter |
| Court — by mail | PO Box 34987, Seattle WA 98124-4987 | Hearing requests + correspondence |
| Court — email evidence | CourtCalendar.SMC@seattle.gov | Documents and photos |
| Citation lookup | Find My Ticket Info | Confirm ticket details |
| SPD non-emergency | (206) 625-5011 | Abandoned cars (>72 hours) |
| Lumen Field parking | lumenfield.com/plan-your-visit/parking-transportation | Event-day lots and transit info |
Rates and rules on this page reflect SDOT's May 2026 schedule. The FIFA-window section above is live through July 6, 2026; after that the match-day section becomes a permanent stadium-event template (Seahawks, Sounders FC, Reign FC, and Mariners games follow the same temporary-sign-overrides-permit pattern).