Even though the season for parking fees officially stretches to Oct. 31 in Ocean City, city crews are removing parking meter heads and all municipal lots are unattended.
All parking will be free in Ocean City until May.
Though final figures will not be available until tomorrow, the city expects to collect almost $3 million in parking revenue this year and surpass last year’s record $2,822,000, according to Ocean City Finance Director Frank Donato.
The city often deactivates parking meters in time for the annual Fall Block Party, an event that draws tens of thousands to the downtown in the shoulder season. This year’s event is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday with a 9:30 p.m. fireworks display over the beach and boardwalk.
May 1 and Oct. 31 are the “outer limits” of the parking season, but the two block parties usually make the beginning and the end of the de facto season. Ocean City’s Spring Block Party is typically held on the first Saturday in May, and the fall event on Columbus Day Weekend.
Donato said crews may still be at work deactivating some final parking meters, but the enforcement season is over.
Residents and visitors breathe a sigh of relief at this time of year as the parking enforcement crews clad in yellow polo shirts disappear, and trips downtown or near the beach and boardwalk don’t require a credit card or a search for quarters.
An amended ordinance in 2013 raised fees for the new credit-card meters near the beach and boardwalk from 25 cents per 15 minutes to 25 cents per 10 minutes (or $1.50 per hour).
Meters in the downtown shopping district remain at 25 cents per hour (and have time limits to prevent beachgoers from displacing shoppers). Fees for municipal parking lots vary depending on time and location but can be as high as $20 on peak weekends.
