Boston, MA Parking Rules: Preferential Parking Districts (2026)
Key Facts
- Sticker required
- Valid, current Transportation Dept. sticker in rear window
- Base fine
- $60 per violation
- Late penalty
- $13 added after 21 days unpaid
- Fenway/Kenmore event fine
- $100 per violation during Fenway Park Events
- Enforcing office
- Office of the Parking Clerk, Transportation Dept.
- Appeal path
- Parking Clerk hearing, then Suffolk Superior Court
Summary
Boston restricts on-street parking inside designated Residential Parking Districts (RPDs) to vehicles displaying a valid, current Transportation Department sticker in the rear window. Parking without one draws a $60 fine under Code of Ordinances § 6-6.3(F), rising to $73 if unpaid 21 days after the notice, and $100 inside the Fenway/Kenmore RPD during Fenway Park Events.
The fine for parking a vehicle in violation of the prohibition against parking within Residential Parking Districts, unless said vehicle displays in the rear window a valid and current sticker as issued by the Transportation Department for the district in which the vehicle is parked, shall be $60 for each such violation. A penalty of $13 shall be assessed if the fine remains unpaid 21 days after issuance of a notice of such violation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-2: Current through Ordinance 2025 C. 14, passed 11-5-2025).
Full Breakdown
c. 90, § 20A½, enforces the RPD sticker requirement. 3(F) sets the base fine: any vehicle parked in a Residential Parking District without displaying a valid, current sticker issued by the Transportation Department "for the district in which the vehicle is parked" is fined $60, with a $13 late penalty added if the fine goes unpaid 21 days after the violation notice issues. 3(KK) defines as any Major League Baseball game at Fenway Park (plus two hours before and after) and any other use the Transportation Commissioner designates for that purpose, such as concerts. c. 30A, § 14. Filing for review does not automatically stay enforcement.
Violations & Fines
Parking without a valid RPD sticker: $60 fine, plus a $13 penalty if unpaid within 21 days. Parking in the Fenway/Kenmore RPD without a sticker during a designated Fenway Park Event: $100 fine, plus a $33 late penalty. Disputes go to a Parking Clerk hearing, then Suffolk Superior Court under M.G.L. c. 30A, § 14.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I park in a Boston Residential Parking District without a sticker?
Is the fine higher near Fenway Park?
Can I appeal a Boston RPD parking ticket?
Who issues the RPD stickers in Boston?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boston
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Preferential Parking Districts in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle preferential parking districts.