Comparing RPZ Permit Quantities to Parking Spaces

The purpose of the RPZ program is to reduce all-day commuter parking in residential and mixed-use neighborhoods. Neighborhood residents can purchase permits that allow them to park for longer than posted time limits. However, street parking is limited, and in some places there are not enough parking spaces for everyone who wants to park on the street. An RPZ permit does not guarantee a parking space. Off-street parking, such as a garage, parking lot, or driveway, is a better choice for reliable parking.

We want to share information about the demand for RPZ parking in your neighborhood so that you can make an informed decision before buying an RPZ permit. You may wish to consider whether off-street parking or other ways to travel may be a better choice for you. To learn more about getting around Seattle without a car, please visit our Flip Your Trip website.

The chart below shows the total number of active RPZ permits compared to the estimated number of street parking spaces. The dark green portion of the bar shows the number of active resident permits, and the blue portion shows the number of active guest permits. (Each household in an RPZ can purchase one guest permit for visitors to use. Guest permits are not used as consistently as resident permits, so we have separated them out for this graph.) Zones with permit volumes above the horizontal brown line have more active permits than available spaces, and zones below the horizontal brown line have fewer active permits than available spaces. Within any zone, parking occupancy may vary widely from block to block.

The graph above shows that the following Zones have more active resident RPZ permits than there are street parking spaces in that zone: Zone 21, Zone 8, Zone 32, Zone 7, Zone 13, Zone 24, Zone 27, Zone 15, Zone 2, Zone 4, and Zone 29. 

For example, in Zone 24 in South Lake Union, there are approximately 200 on-street RPZ spaces available, but around 350 active RPZ permits. Approximately 250 of the permits are resident permits, and approximately 100 are guest permits. (Guest permits are not used as consistently as resident permits, so we have separated them out.) This means that there are 1.75 permits for every available space; in other words only 60% of the permits can be used in Zone 24 at any one time.

Note that permits and parking space supply change over time, and that we will periodically update this information.