Brookline offers travelers and residents alike a wide variety of activities to explore. The good news is that you can find free street parking all over the city. The bad news is a tricky game to play. But don’t worry SpotAngels is here to the rescue 🙂

This guide will grant you Brookline street parking superhero powers:

  1. An understanding of where free street parking spots are. (Check out this street parking map!)
  2. Familiarity with parking rules in Brookline

Street Parking Map

The map below will show you all the spots where you can park, their price and how long you can stay without getting a ticket.

The map updates in real-time, so simply type in the address you’re parking near, the time you expect to be there, and your duration. The green spots are the ones that are free of charge!

Pro tip: the spots that have a yellow hallo are those where you are more likely to find parking. The information is constantly provided by the SpotAngels community.

map of street parking in Brookline - SpotAngels

Brookline Parking Rules

Understanding the parking rules is necessary to avoid getting tickets while street parking in Brookline. There some general rules to keep in mind such as: there’s a 2 hours parking limit in almost every street. And there’s no overnight parking in Brookline. 

Daytime Parking in Brookline

Unless otherwise posted, no driver may park a vehicle on the same street in Brookline between the hours of 6 a.m. of one day and 1 a.m of the following day, for more than two hours. But wait, the daytime parking rule excludes Sunday and public holidays!

Overnight Parking in Brookline

Drivers are prohibited from parking on Brookline’s streets for more than an hour between 2 and 6 a.m. or they’d pay a $30 ticket.

Snow Emergency Regulations in Brookline

No cars are permitted to park on any street in Brookline once a snow emergency has been declared. A snow removal violations — parking on-street during snow emergencies causes a fine of $25.

Parking signs

You can find below a list of Brookline most common parking signs

street cleaning brookline maStreet Cleaning:

Its purpose is to enable street sweeping. You may not park during the posted hours or you risk a parking ticket.

Permit required parking:

You may not park anytime here unless you hold a resident permit of the neighborhood.

Time limit:

This sign indicates that  you may park only for the time limit posted.

Colored Curbs and Caps

You must also pay attention to colored curbs and caps on meters.

Parking Meters w/Red Cap Domes. Parking Meters with Red Cap Domes signify meters that are not in effect due to parking restrictions as posted.
Parking Meters w/Yellow Cap Domes. Parking Meters with Yellow Cap Domes signify meters that are also used as loading zones, as posted.

Yellow curbs or caps indicate that only vehicles registered as commercial vehicles with the state of Massachusetts can park in there at any time.

Noncommercial vehicles can also stop in this zone for no more than three minutes to drop off or pick up a passenger. Those who don’t have any commercial loading business shouldn’t park in the zones during regular business hours. However, you can park there if it’s Saturday, Sunday, or a city holiday. You can also park in commercial loading zones in the evening as long as it’s after 6pm and before 6am in Beacon HillBack Bay and other downtown Boston real estate neighborhoods.

Parking Permits

Resident Permit Parking

Resident permit holders are allowed to park on their residential side street, within their police sector, for more than 2 hours from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Requirements: A resident parking permit may be issued to the owner of vehicle that is registered to a Brookline address with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. 

Cost: Annual fee of $30 per permit

Renewal: Annual renewal by July 1st, expiring June 30th

Application: Residents may submit a completed Resident Permit Parking Application (PDF) to the DPW – Transportation Division office either in-person or by mail:
DPW – Transportation Division
333 Washington Street
4th Floor
Brookline, MA 02445

Monthly Overnight Resident Permit

Brookline residents with no off street-parking spaces, in order to comply with the all-night parking ban, are accommodated with town-owned parking spaces. There are only 325 parking spaces in all of Brookline available for resident overnight parking. These spaces are only available on Weekdays and Saturday from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m.

To obtain a monthly overnight permit, bring the following items: Car Registration with current Brookline address, driver’s license, and a pro-rated amount of the monthly fee by cash or check only.

Bring the items to the Transportation Division located at:
Brookline Town Hall
333 Washington St.
4th floor
Brookline, MA 02445

Overnight Guests Pass

If guests wish to park overnight, guest parking is available in a number of lots in Coolidge Corner, Washington Square, and Brookline Village. Visitor parking is $10 per night. Passes can be purchased from the multi-space meters located in each overnight parking lot. Using this pass, visitors may park in designated guest spaces from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m.

The downsides are that the purchase of a guest permit does not guarantee the availability of a parking space. Parking spots available to overnight guests are very limited. And there are no available refunds.

Brookline Parking Tickets:

You can find below a list of Brookline most common parking tickets. Make sure to use the SpotAngels parking app when you park. You will receive notifications and text messages to remind you to move your car!

  •  Handicap or Ramp Violation (All) $100
  • Within 10 Feet of Hydrant $100
  • Emergency Snow Parking Ban $50
  • Overnight Permit Parking Violation (Municipal lots only) $30
  • Impeding Snow Removal $25
  • Less Than 10 feet Unobstructed Lane $25
  • Double Parking $30
  • Within an Intersection $25
  • Fire Station Entrance $25
  • Bus or Trolley Stop $100
  • Loading Zone $25
  • No Parking Zone $30
  • Upon A Sidewalk or a Crosswalk, or In Front of Driveway or Private Way, or Unattended Bus Parking $25
  • Exceeded Meter Time Limit or Unpaid Meter $25
  • Within 20 Feet of an Intersection $25
  • In Excess of Posted Time Limit $25
  • Over 1 Foot from Curb $25
  • Overtime (2 Hour Parking) $30
  • Parking/Standing in Bike Lane $50

You can pay a parking ticket using one of those options.

  • You can pay online
  • Or pay by mail by sending your ticket with a check or money order payable to Parking Clerk, Town of Brookline: P.O. Box 470708 Brookline, MA 02447-0708.

Brookline Parking Holidays:

Meters are not enforced during Holidays! And the 2 hours parking limit doesn’t apply on them. Here they are:

Start DateParking HolidayEnd Date
2024-01-01New Year's Day2024-01-01
2024-01-15Martin Luther King, Jr. Day2024-01-15
2024-02-19Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day)2024-02-19
2024-04-15Patriots' Day2024-04-15
2024-05-27Memorial Day2024-05-27
2024-07-04Independence Day2024-07-04
2024-09-02Labor Day2024-09-02
2024-10-14Columbus Day2024-10-14
2024-11-11Veterans day2024-11-11
2024-11-28Thanksgiving Day2024-11-28
2024-12-25Christmas Day2024-12-25

To know which specific regulations are suspended on these days and find parking on the go, download the SpotAngels app. It is free, the data is constantly updated by the community and it was featured as the best parking app by Apple and Google!

SpotAngels App Screenshot

View Map of Free Parking in Brookline

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