When Are NYC Parking
Meters Free?
Sundays are free, six holidays are free, and everything else depends on the sign on your block. Here's exactly when NYC meters charge — and when they don't.
Meters are FREE
- Every Sunday.NYC meters and muni-meters don't need to be paid on Sundays, citywide.
- Six major legal holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day. Meters reject payment and display “Meter Off, Read Posted Signs.”
- Outside posted paid hours on your block — once the meter's paid window ends for the day, parking is free until it starts again.
Meters still CHARGE
- Religious holidays. When only Alternate Side Parking is suspended, parking meters remain in effect — this is the mistake that costs drivers every holiday season.
- Monday through Saturday during posted paid hours — even on days when street cleaning is suspended.
- Where signs say 7 days. A few metered blocks post regulations in effect 7 days a week — the posted sign always wins over the Sunday rule.
Hours, grace periods & ParkNYC
Paid hours are set per location and printed on the meter display card and the posted street sign. Hours vary across the city — never assume a standard end time.
NYC gives you 5 minutes past meter expiration before a ticket can be written. An expired meter ticket is $65 in Manhattan (96th St. and below), $35 everywhere else.
The zone number on the meter sign is what you enter in the ParkNYC app. Pay from your phone, extend remotely, and get a reminder before time runs out.
Get Spotto NYC and claim curbside confidence.
Posted Alternate Side Parking schedules, 15ft hydrant proximity warnings, NYC DOT street signs, and peer-to-peer spot holds.