As much as we love Hoboken for its delicious food + drinks, activities, views of NYC, and more, nothing is more frustrating than the quest for street parking in the Mile Square. Circling around the block 27 times, stalking people with their lights on, and sometimes throwing in the towel and heading to the garage are all-too-familiar feelings. While we can’t make more spots magically appear (trust us, we’ve tried. There are fewer than 10,000 street parking spaces and almost 15,000 parking permits), we can help you be a little bit more informed about the parking rules and regs in our fabulous city. Earlier this week, the city announced that it would provide certain free and discounted parking during the holiday season — and now, it’s launching a new pilot parking program that will allow visitors to reserve spots in advance. Read on for a crash course in parking in Hoboken (and send this to everyone who wants to visit — mom and dad included) — as well as what to expect when it comes to holiday season parking.
^If you have seen this wall, you’re officially a Hoboken resident or are fighting a parking ticket.
All About Pilot Parking
The City of Hoboken announced today, December 2nd, the launch of its new pilot parking program in collaboration with the ParkMobile app. With the program, residents and visitors will be able to reserve a parking spot in advance at select municipal parking garages.
Users can reserve parking spaces ahead of time via the ParkMobile app Monday – Thursday from 6PM – 2AM, and from 6PM on Friday to midnight on Sunday. The following municipal garages are participating:
- Municipal Garage B | 28 Second Street
- Garage D | 215 Hudson Street
- Midtown Garage | 371 Fourth Street
The program hopes to encourage holiday shopping and dining in the area. In an official City of Hoboken statement, Mayor Bhalla said “The pilot parking reservation program is a great way for visitors to remove the hassle of having to find parking on our street and have a guaranteed garage spot on the way to patronizing our local businesses.”
As of today, the app services are officially available for resident use. It’s unclear at this time if advanced parking reservations will continue after the holiday season.
Holiday Parking Updates
The free parking — which is good for up to four hours in select parking decks on weekends, per TapInto — started on Saturday, November 26th, and runs through January 2nd, 2023. To receive the free parking, you will need to present the garage attendant a receipt that shows a purchase of $20 dollars or more at a Hoboken shopping or dining destination. Here’s the list of decks that you can park in:
- Garage B (28 2nd Street)
- Garage D (215 Hudson Street)
- Midtown Garage (371 4th Street)
Discounts will also be provided in select zones through December 31st for metered on-street parking. Use the code ‘PARKHOB’ in the ParkMobile app to receive 50% off. View the zones for which this is applicable here.
Permit Types
The department that manages parking is called the Hoboken Parking Utility (HPU). Only Hoboken residents and Hoboken business owners can obtain permits. These are available online and in-person at City Hall, and there are a few types of permits for street parking that residents can apply for. The three most common include:
- Standard — for Hoboken residents with a Hoboken address on both their NJ driver’s license and car registration
- Temporary — for Hoboken residents without the address on their license and registration
- Visitor — The Virtual Visitor Parking (VVP) system allows residents with a valid HPU Online account are now eligible to purchase and activate virtual visitor permits online. Visitors can choose a visitor permit duration that better fits the length of time needed. With VVPs, users can select 4-hour permits, 8-hour permits, or 24-hour permits
To register with the city online and to obtain any of these permits, applicants will need valid and current car registration, driver’s license, and proof of residency (license, copy of lease/mortgage docs, address change decal sticker all in one).
Please note: All of the addresses must match. Hoboken will not issue a resident pass without the resident’s car being registered in Hoboken. Applicants also cannot use a doctor’s bill (random, but good to know!).
The City of Hoboken recently created a map that marks where temporary parking signs are throughout town. On the map, users can see the current and future locations of temporary no parking signs as well as garage locations. Click here to view the map and be sure to always check for updates because it will change pretty often.
Read More: Hoboken’s Free Sunday Parking Explained + More Parking Tips
Know the Signs
There are two types of signs that indicate parking privileges in permit zones, always placed opposite of one another on each street in the city. The top of both signs will look the same, white background with red writing indicating when NO parking is allowed, typically for street cleaning. The bottom coloring is what will determine who can park there.
Simple sign rules for visitors who don’t have residential passes to follow — GREEN BAD, WHITE GOOD.
If the bottom half has a green background with white typeface and says “Residential” — it is for residential only, meaning only those with a full-blown resident permit (see above) can park there. If it is reversed (white background with green writing that says “Permit”), all other valid permits can park there, as well as guests/visitors without a permit who stay under four hours. Now, instead of it being free for four hours, however, it will be metered parking for those four hours.
Color-Coded Curbs
Sometimes the curb colors can seem a bit confusing, but each color has a meaning (and a strict one at that), and knowing those meanings can prevent tickets, towing, and boots. Learn more here.
- Red — No parking at ANY time
- Yellow — Parking is prohibited and or restricted except for specific times and/or purposes. Areas painted yellow permit parking after 7PM + before 7AM but not outside of that window
- Green — Areas painted green are reserved for specific rental + car-shares
- Blue — This means the area that falls within the blue curb is reserved for handicapped permits only
Other Rules + Regs
See More: A Guide to Parking in Montclair, Plus a New Parking Deck
The colored curbs can help you prevent any errors or violations, but in instances of poor paint jobs, snow coverings, or any other confusion – here are a few more tips you need to know:
- A New Jersey state statute prohibits parking within 25 feet of crosswalks. At certain times in Hoboken, drivers can park within 15 feet of them in “Extended Parking Zones” (yellow curbs ONLY).
- Street cleaning times must always be adhered to and are clearly posted on each side of the street, on every block. There are a few holidays, however, where the rules are not in effect. Readers can find them here.
- Visitors without permits only have 2 or 4 (depending on what the sign says) hours of free parking, and this attaches to the vehicle itself, not the spot. Drivers cannot just move to a new spot, as ALL white parking signs on the streets are considered to be one “zone” so, like HPU online says, if the driver moves the car to another spot after 3 hours + 59 minutes, there is still only one minute left.
- 2-hour metered parking in the business district is located on Hudson, River, + Washington Streets. Those with permits can park there but MUST pay, as well as visitors having to pay. Meter rates are $0.50 per 15 minutes. Learn more here.
- The City of Hoboken keeps a running list of permit violations + license plates. For drivers who have gotten a ticket and a warning for a permit zone violation, paying the fine won’t solve the issue. The next time the driver is in violation, the car may very well get a boot. Rumor had it boots were done away with, but the Mayor’s office confirmed that they are still given out for repeat offenders. Boots cost upwards of $200, so it’ll be a very expensive trip to Hoboken indeed.
- When in doubt, cabs/Uber are always a safe bet (it’s unfortunate but pretty true). But please come visit us and the amazing businesses and restaurants here, regardless!
