Rate changes and free parking days
SDOT publishes rate updates, including scheduled changes, along with a list of days when paid parking is free. Since those details get revised over time, check the City of Seattle paid parking information page instead of trusting memory or an old screenshot.
Residential zones
Some neighborhoods use Restricted Parking Zones, where residents hold permits. As you wander residential streets, read every sign carefully so a quick stop never turns into a ticket. Browse our Seattle neighborhood guides to choose where to go before you start looking for a spot.
Pay for Your Street Space Safely
You can pay the city two ways: at a pay station on the street or through its mobile parking app. Both work well, and the app saves you a walk back to the machine.
Keep one detail in mind. SDOT does not use QR codes for street parking payment. If a QR code is stuck on a meter or sign asking you to scan and pay, treat it as suspicious and use the official pay station or app instead.
The Pike Place Market Garage
Heading to the Market? The official garage is the easiest choice, with over 800 stalls, three entrances and quick access to the Market's 500-plus small businesses and the waterfront. Spaces are first come, first served.
Entrances, hours and clearance
Drive in from any of three points:
- 1531 Western Ave
- 1901 Western Ave
- 1530 Alaskan Way
The garage opens every day from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. If you need to reach your car at 11 p.m. or later, call Market Security for access. Height clearance is 6 feet 8 inches, so measure your vehicle if it carries a roof box or rack.
The structure has two named sections. The Blue Garage covers the 1531 Western Ave and Alaskan Way entrances, and the Red Garage sits at 1901 Western Ave beside the MarketFront.
Garage rates and flat deals
The Market lists these hourly rates on its site, though prices can change, so confirm them on the Pike Place Market parking and directions page:
- Up to 1 hour: $8
- 1 to 2 hours: $16
- 2 to 3 hours: $24
- 3 to 4 hours: $32
- 4 to 10 hours: $36
- 10 to 24 hours: $40, which is also the lost ticket charge
Two flat rates can save you real money. Arrive before 9 a.m. and leave by 9 p.m., any day of the week, and the early bird rate is $17 for the day. Come after 5 p.m. for the evening rate, a flat $10. Cars still inside after 2 a.m. return to the regular hourly rate.
Pay first and get out quickly
Six pay machines take cash, major credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and tap to pay. You can also scan the QR code printed on your garage ticket to pay by phone. That ticket code belongs to the Market's own system, unlike random codes on city street meters.
Pay before you walk to your car and your exit goes faster. You will find machines by the elevators on the Skybridge level linking the Market to the Blue Garage, near the waterfront elevator at 1531 Western, by the Alaskan Way exit and near the MarketFront elevators in the Red Garage. Once you pay, leave within 15 minutes to avoid extra charges.
Monthly permits
New monthly permits are closed for now. If you work or live nearby and commute in, join the waitlist through the Market's website.
Accessible, Oversized and Bus Parking
Disabled parking is on every garage level, close to the elevators. A small number of accessible spaces also sit on Pike Place near the Market entrance at 85 Pike Street.
The garage cannot take RVs, trailers or buses. Vehicles taller than 6 feet 8 inches should use the 1531 Western Ave entrance to reach a separate oversized lot, though space there is very limited.
Charter buses can use a 100-foot load and unload zone on the west side of 1st Ave between Pike and Pine. It is open anytime on weekends and holidays, and on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
EV Charging and Bike Racks
Plug in at one of two clusters of electric vehicle chargers: Level P6 near the 1901 Western Ave entrance, or Level 2 just inside the 1530 Alaskan Way entrance. Charging costs $2 per hour on top of parking, and one-time users can simply tap a card to pay with no app required.
Arriving by bike? The biggest rack holds 34 bikes on Level P6 of the Red Garage. Smaller racks wait at the top of the Pike Street Hillclimb, along Pike Place and on Stewart Street.
Leave the Car Behind
Many visitors find transit easier than hunting for a space. Plenty of Metro bus routes stop near the Market on 3rd Avenue around Pine and Pike streets, Westlake and Symphony light rail stations are a few blocks away, and Link light rail connects downtown with Sea-Tac Airport.
From May through Labor Day, hop on the free waterfront shuttle, which runs about every 15 minutes between the waterfront, the Space Needle, Pioneer Square and other stops. It makes an easy companion to a day built around our Seattle landmarks or a wider look at things to do in Seattle.
