BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The City of Bellingham Public Works Department will formally transition all metered street parking throughout the downtown commercial core into a single, unified PayByPhone zone effective today, Monday, June 1, 2026. The change standardizes parking across the downtown area, matching parking in the Fairhaven district.
Under the previous framework, downtown was divided into parking sub-zones, requiring visitors to pay again if they relocated their vehicles across blocks. The transition to a singular zone code allows active parking sessions to travel with a motorist to any valid metered spot within the downtown perimeter until the paid duration expires.
Public Works is scheduled to to place more than 400 new physical informational signs before the city’s regular paid enforcement hours begin today. According to the city, about 60% of visitors utilize the online smartphone application rather than physical coin or card kiosks.
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