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.
