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What
is the Division of Parking?
The City of Norfolk’s Parking Division
is an Enterprise Fund, which falls under the Department
of Finance and Business Services. The Parking
Division operates over 18,000 public parking spaces
located in 13 garages,
9 lots and
more than 600 on-street spaces. Safe, convenient
and affordable parking is always available. The Division of Parking, through the
efforts of all employees dedicated to excellence, shall
provide safe, convenient and affordable parking services
to the citizens, visitors and businesses in Norfolk.
Who
are our patrons?
Downtown workers, patrons, residents,
students, shoppers, and tourists.
Where
does the money I pay for parking go?
All parking revenue collected remains within the Parking
Enterprise Fund to cover the operating, maintenance
and capital costs incurred by the Parking System.
Why
is parking downtown necessary?
Downtown Norfolk is the center of the
Region’s business, retail, cultural and entertainment
activities. Parking
is an integral support structure to downtown commerce.
How
many parking spaces are in downtown?
The City’s parking system consists
of more than 18,000 public parking spaces located in 13
garages, 9
lots and more than 600 on-street metered
spaces.
What
is the busiest time to park?
The peak demand for downtown parkers
is between 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday,
when approximately 60% of all downtown parking spaces
are occupied.
Why
do people have to pay to park downtown?
The City uses many methods of financing
the services it delivers to Norfolk citizens.
Some services, such as police and fire, are supported
by citizens through taxes paid to the General Fund.
Other services are financially supported by the
users. Parking
is one of those services supported exclusively by drivers
using garages, surface lots and shuttles.
Since this operation is self-supporting, adequate
fees must be collected to cover the operating, maintenance
and capital costs incurred by the Parking System.
Who
enforces on-street and off-street parking?
On-street parking spaces are monitored
and enforced by Parking Enforcement staff employed by
the City and by the Norfolk Police Department.
Why
does Norfolk have parking meters?
Metered parking has many benefits to
residents and businesses.
Metered spaces
are intended for short-term parking. The purpose of
the time limit is to ensure that parking spaces regularly
become available for customers of area businesses and
visitors.
How
much does it cost to park downtown?
The rate structure
for parking in downtown is the same at all surface
parking lots and garages. Most facilities allow short-term
and long-term parking. For additional information
on parking rates by facility, click
here.
The Division uses
state-of-the-art electronic parking meters in its on-street
and off-street metered parking program. For detailed
information on meter rates click
here.
If you know your
destination and want to know the closest place to park,
you should find our interactive map helpful.
 Click
on the map for more information.
Is
there special event parking?
Many venues in the City are host
to special events throughout the year. In order
to accommodate convenient exiting from parking facilities
at special events, the Parking Division puts into place
a collect-on-entry operation. The collect-on-entry
rates are:
Are
there any programs to help defray the cost of parking
for patrons of downtown businesses?
In connection with the operation of
its attendant-operated facilities, the Division of Parking
has established the
Discount Stamp Program.
Merchants/businesses may purchase discount stamps
in booklets at a 50% discount of their face value for
their patrons to use when exiting an attendant-operated
facility in order to defray - in whole or in part - parking
charges for up to four hours.
This program is a successful example of public/private
cooperation.
Are
shuttle services offered?
The Division of Parking provides
free shuttle service throughout the downtown area and
among parking facilities via the NET, Norfolk's free Electric
Transit. Each air-conditioned bus holds up to 22
passengers and operates Monday
through Friday, 6:30 a.m. until 11 p.m.
Weekend
service is provided from
noon until midnight on Saturdays and noon until 8 p.m.
on Sundays.
The NET
weekday route makes a total of
fifteen stops along a 2.2-mile route throughout the
downtown area, beginning at Cedar Grove Parking Lot,
running along Granby Street to Main Street, then to
Harbor Park, City Hall, and finally circling back again.
The NET
weekend route makes a total of nine
stops, beginning at Nauticus, running along Waterside
Drive to the Waterside Festival Marketplace, Harbor Park (during
Tides games only), then to the MacArthur Center, Scope,
the Harrison Opera House, the Chrysler Museum, and
finally circling back again.
NET buses serve as a link between
satellite parking facilities and downtown and serve
as the downtown connector.
Convenient and distinctive NET stops are located
along the route and buses pass each stop at 6-18 minute
intervals.
To view a map of the NET
please
click
here. You will need Adobe Acrobat.
Is
security provided?
Security is provided by uniformed
Norfolk police officers and on-site
Parking Division staff. Several automated
security systems are also used to monitor our facilities.
The result is safe, convenient and worry-free parking.
However, any time you leave your
car unattended, you are cautioned to lock your car and
keep all valuables out of sight.
Does
the City of Norfolk provide all the parking in downtown?
No. There are a number of privately owned and operated
garages and surface lots in the downtown.
These private facilities provide approximately
5,000 of the 23,000 spaces currently available in downtown.
Is
there parking for the disabled?
Yes.
Disabled parkers with valid handicap license plates and/or
hanging tags may park free at any on-street metered
space for the posted time (2 hours at most downtown
meters, except Waterside, which is 15 minutes).
Or, disabled parkers may park in off-street parking
garages and lots for an unlimited time when paying posted
hourly rates.
What
days and hours are the parking meters enforced?
With
the exception of the parking meters in front of Waterside,
metered spaces are all 2-hour duration and are
in effect and enforceable from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.,
Monday through Saturday.
The metered spaces in
front of Waterside have a 15-minute duration and are
enforced from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., Monday through
Sunday.
Metered Parking is free after 6 p.m.
Monday through Saturdays and all day on Sundays.
As stated in Section
25.1-125 Enforcement of the City Code, enforcement
shall not apply on Sundays, state election days, federal
legal holidays or state legal holidays.
However City Council
may, by resolution, waive these provisions, with respect
to any or all designated streets, zones or public areas
of the City, for such period of time as may be set forth
in the resolution.
Where the provisions are waived, signs or notices
advising the public of such waiver shall be conspicuously
posted for the streets, zones or area so affected.
How
can I get a special parking permit to park at meters?
The Division of
Parking realizes the need to close meters for
construction-related projects or special events at
various locations throughout downtown. As a
result, the Division of Parking has developed the
Parking Meter Permit Program which offers several
different types of meter permits, depending on the event
and the length of time the permit is needed. This
permit is designed to make legal parking more convenient
by having the parker pre-pay the meter fee in return for
a permit that is to be displayed on the dashboard of the
vehicle.
Parking meter
permits are issued on a first come, first serve basis
and may be renewed weekly with a new application.
Financial districts, as approved by Norfolk city
ordinance, determine meter rates. Permits are not
available on Sundays, federal, state and local holidays,
or after 6 p.m. Monday – Saturday. Posted hours
of operation are the enforcement hours for parking
meters.
For additional information,
click
here, or contact
the Parking Division at 757-664-6222.
Is
there parking available in downtown for buses, RVs,
campers and other oversized vehicles?
Parking for buses, RVs, campers
and other oversized vehicles is available at
Harbor
Park Lot G, contact the Parking Division at
757-664-6222
for further information.
To inquire
about convenient parking or for additional information,
call Norfolk’s Division of Parking at (757)
664-6222. |
