Parking Hacks for Downtown Concord, NH
Concord, NH, is a very walkable city, with a long and open Main Street full of shops and eateries. Parking is rarely a challenge, but it’s always great to know the best spots to leave your car.
With the right tips and tricks, you should be able to find the perfect parking spot. Here are a few hacks for great Concord parking:
For a small city, Concord has a dizzying array of meters: There are several types of parking kiosks, and a few varieties of meters. All work with an app, most take credit cards, and are similar to meters in any other cities. In fact, the city parking garages use parking kiosks that are very easy to use and simple to understand, if you follow the instructional signs.
Tip: If you see a hollowed out meter near the State House, don't be fooled - look for a parking kiosk. Empty meters are there for members of the NH House and Senate to "bag" so they can park by the State House, and not pay for it. According to the Concord Monitor, those "bagged" spots are intended for people who have disabilities to use while the House or Senate are in session, many are assigned to political leadership.
The City has 1,050 on-street metered parking spaces throughout downtown, as well as hundreds of free parking spaces around the downtown. On-street meter zones hours of enforcement are: Monday through Saturday, 9 AM – 7 PM. On-street meter rates are $1.00 per hour. Look for the green PayByPhone signs on the side of any parking meter or parking kiosk for the space number or location. With the PayByPhone app, you won’t have to spend time feeding meters, or hunting for your credit card or extra change. You’ll be alerted when your time is about to expire, and know ahead of time how much each additional hour of parking will cost you. On-street meters have between 3 hour and 10 hour time limits.
On-Street parking is free on Sundays and on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day, Election Day (when applicable), Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day After Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Tip: Head to the Concord Public Parking Garages. The city has 3 of them with 1,215 parking spaces, but some are reserved. These parking garages offer metered spaces, but be sure the space is not reserved (there are signs). Parking Garage Metered Parking is Monday through Friday, 9AM – 7PM. Parking garage parking is free Saturdays and Sundays and on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day, Election Day (when applicable), Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day After Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. Parking garage metered parking costs $0.50 per hour, with a 10 hour time limit. Credit cards are accepted at all garage pay station kiosks, as are coins. There is a minimum 2 hour charge when paying with a credit card. You can use PayByPhone to pay for metered parking in all garages.
How to Pay for Metered Parking in Garages: Just remember your space number and pay at a kiosk when leaving the garage on foot. Unlike on-street metered spaces, you do not need to return to your car to place your receipt.
Vehicles with ADA marked license plates displaying the accessibility symbol, or a windshield placard issued to a person with a disability, are exempt from paying parking meters. However, time limits are enforced.
