Ballard Blocks Parking and Access Changes

Updated December 2025

Project Overview

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) plans to add new 2-hour paid parking, new load zones, and disabled parking spaces in the Ballard Blocks area to make it easier for everyone to find a spot.  The Ballard Blocks area is a busy area with lots of demand for on-street parking. We want to better manage parking so that on-street parking is easier for visitors, customers, deliveries, and people with disabilities.    

SDOT will install the paid parking in January 2026.  2-hour paid parking will be in effect Monday-Saturday from 8am to 8pm. Parking would be free on Sundays and City holidays.  

Paid parking in the Ballard Blocks will start with rates already in place on nearby streets in Ballard: 

• Morning rates (8am-11am): $1/hour
• Afternoon rates (11am-5pm): $2.50/hour
• Evening rates: (5pm-8pm): $3.00/hour 

SDOT reviews data in paid areas and adjusts paid parking rates citywide three times per year. More information on SDOT’s paid parking rate system.  

Proposed Changes

This map shows the upcoming parking changes:

SDOT will add 2-hour paid parking (8 AM–8 PM, Monday–Saturday), new load zones, and disabled parking spaces on these streets: 

• NW Ballard Way from 15th Ave NW to 14th Ave NW  (north and south sides)  
• NW 46th St from 15th Ave NW to 14th Ave NW  (north and south sides)  
• 14th Ave NW from NW Ballard Way to NW 46th St (west side only) 

SDOT will also add 2-hour time-limited parking (8AM-8PM, Monday-Saturday), new load zones, and disabled parking spaces on these streets: 

• 15th Ave NW from NW Ballard Way to NW 46th St (south side only)
• 14th Ave NW from NW Ballard Way to NW Leary Way (east and west sides) 

Project Goals

The goals of this project are to:

• Make it easier for customers and visitors to find a parking space.
• Reduce circling for parking, which saves people time and cuts down on traffic.
• Improve safety by reducing traffic from cars searching for parking.
• Create space for delivery trucks and loading, so businesses can get the supplies they need.
• Encourage longer-term visitors and employees to use nearby parking garages and lots, which usually have space.
• Support local shops, restaurants, and services by encouraging on-street parking turnover so more people can visit throughout the day.

Why we're making parking changes

Ballard Blocks is a busy area. We want to better manage parking here so it’s easier for everyone- customers, delivery drivers, and people with disabilities - to find a parking spot.  In spring 2024, we studied on-street and off-street parking in the Ballard Blocks area. We counted how many people were using street parking and garage parking throughout the day.

Here’s what our parking study found:

• On-street parking was very full and almost completely full midday, with over 90% of on-street spaces filled.
• At the same time, the nearby garages and parking lots still had hundreds of open spaces.
• Some streets had time limited parking, but most blocks have unrestricted parking. On those blocks, cars often stayed for hours, making it harder for visitors and customers to find parking easily.

Next Steps

Our next steps are to install the changes in January 2026.