City Accepting Applications for OTR Parking Permits: Program Effective Jan. 1, 2019 

EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS CONTENT HAS BEEN UPDATED AND IS CURRENT FOR 2022. 

CINCINNATI – The City of Cincinnati is accepting applications for parking permits for residents in Over-the-Rhine (OTR). The permits are part of a program that gives residents in a designated part of OTR the option to purchase an annual pass for on-street parking.

The designated area, known formally as the Special Parking Permit Area, covers the southern portion of OTR, which runs east along Liberty Street, south on Sycamore, west on Central Parkway and north on Central Parkway back to Liberty.

The program went into effect Jan. 1, 2019.

Standard permits cost $60 annually. There also is an affordable option of $25 a year for those residents who qualify as low income. Permits are good through Dec. 31 of the calendar year in which purchased.

Signage is posted to indicate areas in OTR designated for residential parking. Those on-street residential parking areas have been divided into zones. The residential zones are separate from metered, on-street parking spaces. The map below shows the location of residential permit parking zones in yellow and metered parking in red.

The City has installed additional parking meters and multi-space kiosks in this part of OTR to accommodate visitors. Visitors are not permitted to park in zones designated for residential permits.

Please note: There are no defined spaces within the Special Parking Permit Area. However, enough space is allocated to accommodate 500 vehicles. Anyone with the permit can park in designated zones on a first-come, first-served basis. If no space is available, a resident with a permit would need to find alternative parking such as a metered or off-street space, or a garage.

To obtain a permit, applicants must show proof of both their residency and vehicle registration. Permits are limited to one per person and two per dwelling unit. For details, please review the online permit, which includes instructions for how to make payment.

Permit holders will be issued an adhesive-backed decal, which should be placed on the lower passenger-side portion of their vehicle’s front windshield. The City’s Parking Division is responsible for issuing citations for those vehicles parked in a residential zone without a decal.

Cincinnati City Council approved two ordinances in September 2019 to allow for the Implementation of the program: The Special Parking Permit Program Ordinance No. 293-2018 and the Urban Overlay District Ordinance No. 294-2018.

Additional information about the program is available at www.cincinnati-oh.gov/otr-parking.

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