For the purposes of this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
PARKING METER
Includes any mechanical device or meter not inconsistent with this article placed or erected for the regulation of parking by authority of this article. Each parking meter installed shall indicate by proper legend the legal parking time established by the City and, when operated, shall at all times indicate the balance of legal parking time, and at the expiration of such period shall indicate illegal or overtime parking.
PARKING METER SPACE
Any space within a parking meter zone, adjacent to a parking meter, and which is duly designated for the parking of a single vehicle by lines painted or otherwise durably marked on the surface of the street adjacent to or adjoining the parking meters.
PARKING METER ZONE
Includes that part of any street upon which the parking of vehicles is permitted for limited periods of times subject to regulations established by the City and upon which parking meters are installed and in operation.
PARK or PARKING
The standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, upon a street otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of, and while actually engaged in, receiving or discharging passengers or loading, unloading and delivering merchandise, or in obedience to traffic regulations, signs or signals or an involuntary stopping of the vehicle by reason of causes beyond the control of the vehicle operator.
STREET
The entire width between property lines of any public street, avenue, road, alley, highway, lane, path or other public place located in the City and established for the use of vehicles.
VEHICLE
Any device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported upon a highway, except a device which is operated upon rails or tracks, or motivated by human power.
In accordance with this article, parking meter zones are established in the following streets or parts of streets. All frontages in such squares, streets or avenues defining such zones shall be included except those restricted to parking by specific order or as defined under § 385-19.
A. 
Both sides of the following streets for their entire length:
Alderman Street
Auburn Street
Barnes Street
Beaumont Street
Beaumont Terrace
Berendo Street
Bliss Street
Bond Street
Boylston Street
Bradford Street
Bridge Street
Broadway
Burlington Street
Cliftwood Street
Clinton Street
Congress Street
Continental Street
Court Square Avenue
Court Street
Crossett Street
Cross Street
Cypress Street
East Court Street
Edwards Street
Elliot Street
Elm Street
Emery Street
Essex Street
Fairbanks Place
Ferry Street
Fort Street
Grays Avenue
Greenwood Street
Grenada Terrace
Hampden Street
Harrison Avenue
Hillman Street
Holyoke Street
Howard Street
Kaynor Street
Lenox Street
Lyman Street
Market Street
Mattoon Street
New Dwight Street
New Street
Ormond Street
Park Street
Patton Street
Pearl Street Court
Pomona Street
Pynchon Street
Railroad Street
Salem Street
Sanford Street
Sargeant Street
Seventh Street
Sharon Street
Sorrento Street
Stearns Square
Stockbridge Street
Temple Street
Tenth Street
Trenton Street
Ventura Street
Vernon Street
Vine Street
Walden Street
Willow Street
Winter Street
B. 
Both sides of the following streets for the areas indicated:
Name of Street
Location
Belmont Avenue
From Beaumont Street to Walden Street
Carew Street
From Main Street to Chestnut Street
Chestnut Street
From Carew Street to State Street
Columbus Avenue
From Cypress Street to Main Street
Commonwealth Avenue
From Belmont Avenue to Walden Street
Dickinson Street
From Beaumont Street to Walden Street
Dwight Street
From State Street to Jefferson Avenue
Franklin Street
From Main Street to Chestnut Street
High Street
From Maple Street to School Street
Liberty Street
From Main Street to Chestnut Street
Locust Street
From Main Street to Mill Street
Lyman Street
From Main Street to Chestnut Street
Main Street
From Bliss Street to Mill Street
Main Street
From Liberty Street to Chicopee Line
Maple Street
From State Street to Union Street
Pearl Street
From Chestnut Street to Spring Street
Plainfield Street
From Sargeant Street to Bradford Street
Rutland Street
From State Street to Wilbraham Road
School Street
From State Street to Union Street
Spring Street
From Taylor Street to State Street
State Street
From Columbus Avenue to Benton Street
Sumner Avenue
From Continental Street to Pomona Street
Sumner Avenue
From Converse Street to East Alvord Street
Taylor Street
From Main Street to Spring Street
Union Street
From Columbus Avenue to School Street
White Street
From Kimberly Avenue to Priscilla Street
Wilbraham Road
From Eastern Avenue to Rutland Street
Worthington Street
From Columbus Avenue to Spring Street
A. 
In parking meter zones the traffic commission shall cause parking meters to be purchased and installed upon the curb or sidewalk immediately adjacent to the parking spaces provided in § 385-12.
B. 
The Division of Traffic Engineering of the Department of Public Works shall be responsible for the control, operation, maintenance and use of such parking meters.
C. 
Each meter shall be installed not less than 12 inches or more than 24 inches from the face of the curb. Each device shall be so set as to display a signal showing legal parking upon the deposit of the appropriate coin or coins, lawful money of the United States of America, for the period of time prescribed by § 385-16.
D. 
Each device shall be so arranged that upon the expiration of the lawful time limit it will indicate by a proper visible signal that the lawful parking period has expired, and in such cases the right of such vehicle to occupy such space shall cease and the operator, owner, possessor or manager thereof shall be subject to the penalties provided in § 385-22.
A. 
The Division of Traffic Engineering of the Department of Public Works is directed and authorized to mark off individual parking spaces in the parking zones designated and described in § 385-12 when and where ordered by the Traffic Commission and in such other zones as may hereafter be established, such parking spaces to be designated by lines painted or durably marked on the surface of the street.
B. 
At each space so marked off, it is unlawful to park any vehicle in such a way that such vehicle shall not be entirely within the limits of the space so designated, except such vehicles whose length, width or load overlap the length or width of such lines or marks.
A. 
Parking meters shall be operated in the parking meter zones established in § 385-12 every day between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., unless otherwise specified by the City Council and indicated on such meters.
B. 
Such parking meters shall not be operated on Sundays or during the hours of legal holidays during which certain retail stores are required by law to remain closed under the provisions of the general statutes regulating the observance of the Lord's Day.
[Amended 6-14-1988]
A. 
During the hours that parking time limit restrictions are in effect, the fee to be deposited in a parking meter adjacent to a parking meter space shall be as follows:
(1) 
In those zones restricted to a maximum of 30 minutes of parking, one quarter ($0.25) for 30 minutes of parking.
(2) 
In those zones restricted to a maximum of 60 minutes of parking, two quarters ($0.50) for 60 minutes of parking, or one quarter ($0.25) for 30 minutes of parking.
(3) 
In those zones restricted to a maximum of two hours of parking, four quarters ($1) for two hours, or two quarters ($0.50) for one hour.
B. 
The number of minutes for which continuous parking by one vehicle will be permitted in any zone shall be set by order of the City Council.
A. 
Operators of commercial vehicles may park in a metered space without depositing a coin for a period not to exceed 30 minutes for the purpose of loading, unloading or delivering.
B. 
All of the provisions of this article shall apply to the parking of such vehicles in excess of this time limit.
[Added 12-16-2024]
Any veteran who holds a veteran license plate, as defined below, shall be able to utilize all municipal parking meters in the City provided for in Chapter 385 without a fee to utilize said meter. A "veterans license plate" shall be defined as a license plate that is issued to a veteran, as defined by Massachusetts General Law Chapter 4, Section 7, Clause 43, by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles that includes the wording "Veteran, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Silver Star, Disabled Veteran, EX POW, Gold Star Family, Veteran Flag plate, Veteran plate, National Guard" on said plate. The veteran must be driving a vehicle with the veterans license plate on the vehicle to be able to utilize the municipal parking meters referenced above without a permit of fee. This section shall not extend to any veteran that is utilizing a vehicle without a veterans license plate. This section shall not be interpreted to include a veteran's usage of a handicapped parking spot without the required placard.
A. 
When any vehicle is parked in any parking space alongside or next to which a parking meter is located, the operator of such vehicle shall, upon entering such parking meter space, immediately deposit or cause to be deposited in such meter such proper coin of the United States as is required for such parking meter and as is designated by proper directions on the meter; and when required by the directions on the meter, the operator of such vehicle, after the deposit of the proper coin or coins, shall also set in operation the timing mechanism on such meter in accordance with directions properly appearing thereon.
B. 
Except as otherwise provided in this article, it shall constitute a violation of this article to permit a vehicle to occupy a designated parking meter space during the period which has been prescribed for that part of the street in which such parking space is located unless forthwith after such parking the proper coin shall be deposited and the timing mechanism shall be set in operation.
C. 
It is further provided that any person placing a vehicle in a parking meter space adjacent to a meter which indicates that unused time has been left in the meter by the previous occupant of the space shall not be required to deposit a coin so long as his occupancy of such space does not exceed the indicated unused parking time. If such vehicle remains parked in any such parking space beyond the parking time limit set for such parking space, and if the meter shall indicate such illegal parking, then, and in that event, such vehicle shall be considered as parking overtime and beyond the period of legal parking time, and such parking shall be deemed a violation of this article.
Nothing in this article shall be construed as prohibiting the City from providing for bus stops, taxicab stands and other matters of similar nature, including the loading or unloading of trucks, vans, or other commercial vehicles.
The Police Department shall be responsible for the collection of moneys deposited in parking meters, which duty or function may be awarded by contract by the Chief Procurement Officer to an independent bonded contractor in accordance with General Laws Chapter 43, and with Chapter 82, Purchasing and Contracts, Articles I, II and III, if the Mayor, in his discretion, deems it to be for the best interest of the City.
No person shall park a vehicle contrary to the provisions of this article nor shall any person cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle registered in his name to violate any of the following provisions:
A. 
To be parked overtime, or beyond the period of legal parking time established for any parking meter zone as described in this article, or to deposit in any parking meter any coin for the purpose of parking beyond the maximum legal parking time for the particular parking meter zone.
B. 
To permit any vehicle to remain in any parking space adjacent to any parking meter while such meter is displaying a signal indicating that the vehicle occupying such parking space has already been parked beyond the period prescribed for such parking space.
C. 
To park any vehicle across any line or marking of a parking meter space or in such position that the vehicle shall not be entirely within the area designated by such lines or markings, except such vehicles whose length, width or load overlaps the width or length of such lines or marks.
D. 
To deface, injure, tamper with, open or willfully break, destroy, or impair the usefulness of any parking meter installed under the provisions of this article, except that a person may open such parking meter when authorized to do so by the Director of Public Works.
E. 
To deposit or cause to be deposited in any parking meter any slugs, device or metal substance, or other substitute for lawful coin.