Boston, MA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Resident Permit Hours
- 6 PM to 8 AM
- Sticker Cost
- Free
- Snow Emergency Routes
- ~170 streets
- Shoveling Rule
- 6 hours (16-12.16)
Summary
Boston requires a resident parking permit to park on most residential streets 6 PM to 8 AM. Snow emergencies trigger tow-and-plow on posted routes with 48-hour tow windows.
Section 22C. If the superintendent of streets or other officer having charge of the public ways in a city or town reasonably deems that any motor vehicle apparently abandoned by its owner and standing for more than seventy-two hours upon a public or private way therein or on any property therein without the permission of the owner or lessee of said property or if a captain or lieutenant of the state police reasonably deems that any motor vehicle apparently abandoned by its owner and standing for more than seventy-two hours upon any property under their respective jurisdictions, is worth less than the cost of removal and storage and expenses incident to disposition pursuant to sections seven to eleven, inclusive, of chapter one hundred and thirty-five, sections eighty-nine to ninety-four, inclusive, of chapter ninety-two, or sections forty-five to forty-eight, inclusive, of chapter twenty-two C, he may, without incurring liability on his part or on the part of the city, town or the commonwealth, take possession of such motor vehicle and dispose thereof as refuse.
Full Breakdown
Boston resident parking zones apply in all neighborhoods from Allston-Brighton to Charlestown. Without a sticker, overnight parking on marked streets results in $40 tickets and, in chronic cases, tows. Stickers are free through the Boston Transportation Department but require proof of Boston residency and vehicle registration to a city address. During declared snow emergencies, the city activates tow-and-plow on roughly 170 posted snow emergency arteries with tows to designated relocation lots. The City Code 16-12.16 six-hour shoveling rule (sidewalks must be cleared within 6 hours of snowfall end) applies separately to property owners. Street cleaning months (April to November) have posted no-parking days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can visitors park overnight?
Where are cars towed in snow emergencies?
Sources & Official References
- [1]MGL c. 90, §22C
- [2]Source
Other rules in Boston
How Boston compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·Compare Boston to another location·View the Massachusetts parking rules overview
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Overnight Parking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle overnight parking.