Your 411 for parking in downtown Asheville

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Pack Square Parking Garage | Photo by AVLtoday

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Happy hump day, Asheville. Audra here bringing you the 411 on a topic we all love – parking. We receive a lot of parking-related questions, so keep reading to find out what parking places are run by the city, how much they cost, what days/times are free, methods of payment, how to get a monthly pass, how to pay a citation + so much more.

There are four parking options for downtown – parking in a garage, a metered space, parking with a permit + free parking.

Parking Garages

  • Civic Center Garage, 68 Rankin Ave.
    First hour free, second hour (or any amount past one hour) is $2.50 followed by $1.25 per each additional hour or fraction. Daily max: $12. Special event costs: $9 single day, $7 multi-day. Monthly Rate: $100
  • Rankin Avenue Garage, 68 Rankin Ave.
    First hour free, second hour (or any amount past one hour) is $2.50 followed by $1.25 per each additional hour or fraction. Daily max: $12. Special event costs: $9 single day, $7 multi-day. Monthly Rate: $110
  • Wall Street Garage, 45 Wall St.
    First hour free, second hour (or any amount past one hour) is $2.50 followed by $1.25 per each additional hour or fraction. Daily max: $12. Special event costs: $9 single day, $7 multi-day. Monthly Rate: $120
  • Biltmore Avenue Garage, 60 S Lexington Ave. (Aloft Hotel)
    First hour free, second hour (or any amount past one hour) is $2.50 followed by $1.25 per each additional hour or fraction. Daily max: $12. Special event costs: $9 single day, $7 multi-day. Monthly Rate: 12 hour rate $110, 24 hour rate $130

***For information about monthly parking passes for any of the above garages call (828) 259-5792. Just remember, most of these garages have a waitlist for monthly passes.

Metered Spaces

There are over 700 on-street metered spaces in downtown that are all for short term parking. Each hour is $1.50 and all can be paid with coins or the Passport Parking app, and some can be paid with a credit or debit card.

**Any parking spots requesting you to use the ParkMobile app mentioned are not city-run, but are run through a private business. See zones here.

Paid parking is enforced from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. After 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and all day Sunday, metered spaces are free. Parking is also free on the following City-designated holidays:

  • New Year’s Day
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Good Friday
  • Memorial Day
  • Fourth of July
  • Labor Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Friday after Thanksgiving
  • Christmas Eve, Christmas Day + the day after Christmas

Other Locations

On-Street Permit Parking is available in several areas downtown at a rate of $40–55 per month. These permits are sold on a first come, first served basis from a waiting list. Call parking services at (828) 259-5792 for detail on how to obtain a permit or how to be added to the waitlist.

Off-Street Permit Parking is available in the two lots behind the U.S. Cellular Center and on either side of Rankin Ave. These permits are $70 per month (hourly parking is not available). Call parking services at (828) 259-5792 for detail on how to obtain a permit or how to be added to the waitlist.

Personal businesses/organizations own several lots around Asheville (i.e. the 32 Banks Ave. lot) which you can park in for an hourly rate. In most cases these lots have a flat fee and accept the ParkMobile app, Passport app, coins + cards as a method of payment (Lot 18 at Page Ave. + Haywood St., Lot 17 at O’Henry Ave.).

Free lots can be found at the Cherry St. gravel lot, as well as the parking lot beside the Food Lion Skatepark (50 Cherry St. N).

Finding Parking

To find available parking spaces rather than driving around searching, visit AVLpark or download The Asheville App or Asheville Parking app to see real-time vacancies so you can you find parking before you go.

Paying a Citation

If you receive a citation you can pay online, by mail (45 Wall St., Asheville, N.C. 28801), or in person at their Wall St. office Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Payments are accepted by cash, check, or money order – online payment will accept Visa or MasterCard. Citations range from $20 to $50.

To appeal a citation you must do so within 15 days of the issue date. You can file an appeal online, by mail (PO Box 7148, Asheville, N.C. 28802) or in person at the Wall St. location Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All appeal outcomes will be mailed. See list of citations here.

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