Ballard Blocks Parking and Access Changes

Updated June 2026

Project Overview

In June 2026, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) added 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. These changes are intended to improve on-street parking availability, reduce time spent circling for parking, support businesses through increased parking turnover, and make sure curbspace is available for deliveries and accessible parking needs. SDOT conducted outreach with area property owners and businesses in fall 2025 and early 2026. Outreach included mailers, flyers, door‑to‑door outreach, emails, and one‑on‑one meetings.

2-hour paid parking is in effect in the Ballard Blocks Monday-Saturday from 8 AM to 8 PM. Parking is free on Sundays and City holidays.

Paid parking rates in the Ballard Blocks are:

Morning rates (8 AM - 11 AM): $1/hour
Afternoon rates (11 AM - 5PM): $2.50/hour
Evening rates: (5 PM - 8 PM): $2.50/hour

SDOT reviews data in paid areas and adjusts paid parking rates citywide two to three times per year. The next rate change in the Ballard Blocks will be in fall 2026. More information on SDOT’s paid parking rate system.

Overview of Installed Changes

This map shows the changes we made in June 2026:

Ballard Blocks map showing parking changes

We added 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)

We also added 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.

Project Background

Ballard Blocks is a busy retail area, which leads to high parking demand. 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.