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Do you have to pay for street parking in DC on a Saturday?

Yes. Most of DC's roughly 18,000 metered parking spaces are enforced on Saturdays. The standard rate is $2.30 per hour, and meters run from 7 a.m. to either 6:30 p.m. or 10 p.m. depending on the neighborhood. Sunday is the free day, not Saturday.

Yes. Most of Washington DC's roughly 18,000 metered parking spaces are enforced on Saturdays. The standard rate is $2.30 per hour, and meters run from 7 a.m. to either 6:30 p.m. or 10 p.m., depending on the neighborhood. Sunday is the free day, not Saturday. Read every posted sign before you walk away from your car.

What meters cost and when they run

Meter hours vary throughout the District. In most areas, the meter hours are Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. or 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The standard parking rate is $2.30 per hour. That rate is consistent whether it is a Monday morning or a Saturday afternoon.

All meters are in effect on Saturdays. That comes straight from ParkDC, the District's official curbside meter program page.

Where you park determines when the meter stops. In most areas meters run from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. In busier parts of the city, it costs $2.30 per hour from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday, including Adams Morgan, Georgetown, Penn Quarter/Chinatown, the U Street NW Corridor, the Downtown Central Business District, Maine Avenue and Water Streets SW, the National Mall, and Wisconsin Avenue NW from Van Ness Street to Western Avenue.

Time limits in metered parking areas are generally two hours; this can vary by location and type of curb use. Going over that limit is a separate offense from failing to pay.

Saturday is not Sunday

A lot of visitors mix these two days up. Sundays and federal holidays: most metered parking is free, but not all. Saturday gets no such break. Public metered parking applies Monday through Saturday, and parking garages charge every day of the week.

Sundays and federal holidays are free at meters, but residential permit, rush-hour, and sweeping restrictions still apply where posted. Even on a free-meter Sunday, those other rules can still produce a ticket.

Residential permit (RPP) zones on Saturdays

If you park on a residential block rather than a commercial corridor, the rules shift. Without the sticker, the practical rule is 2 hours weekdays 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; evenings and weekends are open on most RPP blocks.

Georgetown is the main exception. Historic Georgetown RPP enforcement runs 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Georgetown is the exception: enforcement runs Monday through Saturday until 9 p.m.

In most cases, RPP restrictions are suspended on Saturdays. However, some RPP zones have Saturday enforcement hours, usually in areas with high demand. Always check the posted signage to confirm whether a permit is required on Saturday.

Street sweeping: the Saturday trap most people miss

Even if no meter applies, street-sweeping rules can still get you ticketed. If street sweeping is scheduled for that location on a Saturday and you park there during the posted hours, you will be ticketed. DDOT publishes street sweeping schedules online, and temporary signage is often posted in advance. The sweeping ticket runs $45. Check the sign on the pole, not just the meter.

Free parking options on a Saturday

Free spots exist, but they take effort to find. Ohio Drive SW near the Jefferson Memorial and East Potomac Park has free street parking, but it fills fast on weekends; arrive before 9 a.m.

All Metro parking is free on weekends or holidays, and a few stations even have lots where you can leave your car for up to 10 days. That is often the smarter play for anyone coming in from Virginia or Maryland suburbs.

How to pay

Most metered street parking in Washington DC is managed by the District Department of Transportation, with meters that accept coins and cards and clearly show hours and rates. You can also pay by phone using ParkMobile, the District's official pay-by-cell service, by entering the ParkMobile zone number from the meter or street sign and starting a session in the app.

There is a small transaction fee of $0.32 added to the cost of parking for each Pay by Phone transaction. You will not need to display a receipt: your license plate and the amount of time you paid is communicated digitally to parking enforcement.

Motorists are advised to carefully check the days and hours of enforcement posted on the parking meters and curbside signs. That is DDOT's own advice, and it is the only rule that really matters on any given block.

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