Parking Permits

Displaying your parking permit hang tag

Permits must be hung from your front windshield’s rear-view mirror with the numbers facing out so that it can easily be seen by parking enforcement officers. If there are any problems in displaying the permit in this location, contact us.

Parking garage gate arms

When using an RFID-enabled hang tag, please pull your vehicle up to the entry gate. The gate will read your hang tag through your front windshield, and the gate should raise automatically. Drive your car to any space marked as a being a permit parking space. When you are ready to leave the garage, drive your vehicle to the exit gate and wait for the gate arm to once again read your hang tag and raise the exit gate.

No permit parking in hourly spaces

Permit holders may not use hourly parking spaces unless they have paid the hourly fee for the space (City Ordinance Sec. 14-391). If the parking permit area is full, report it to the Columbia Police Department by calling their non-emergency number 311, or 573.442.6131. The police will advise you on where you may park temporarily.

Avoid reserved or restricted spaces

Please also refrain from parking in any space with a sign marking that particular space as being reserved or restricted in any way. These are enforced 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Enforcement Hours

City parking garages are enforced Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

City parking lots are enforced Monday to Saturday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

During enforcement hours, all permit holders must be in permit spaces, and vehicle not displaying a parking permit hang tag must be in an hourly space. Outside of enforcement hours, however, this is not enforced. 

Regardless of enforcement hours, you must never park in any reserved or restricted spaces.

Parking is not enforced on all observed City holidays. 

Nontransferable

Permits may not be co-leased or otherwise transferred to individuals not originally making the lease agreement with the City of Columbia.

A lessee may allow another individual the temporary use of a permit, but this use shall not exceed seven calendar days without written authorization from the City of Columbia Parking Utility. Application for written authorization shall be made three days prior to such extended permit-sharing use.

Replacement fees

If you should lose your parking permit hang tag, there is a $25 replacement fee for RFID-enabled hangtags issued to permit holders for parking garages. There is a $6 replacement fee for regular hang tags issued to permit holders for use in parking lots.

Permit cancellation

To cancel your parking permit, you must return your tag in person to City Hall at 701 E. Broadway. Please do not return hang tags by mail. Once received, we will mail you a check based on the number of days remaining in the billing cycle for which you have already paid.

You are responsible for the continued payment of any parking permit until the hang tag is physically returned to the City of Columbia Public Works staff at City Hall. If you have moved away from Columbia and forgot to return the hang tag to us, please contact staff at [email protected]create new email to make arrangements to have it returned.

We will revoke parking permits if payment has not been received in full within 28 days of the invoice date. Once a permit has been revoked, it can be reissued to a customer upon request, with the following conditions:

• All delinquent permit amounts must be paid, and the revoked tag must be either returned, or a $25 lost tag fee must be paid.
• The parking lot or garage must have permits available.

Lock your vehicle

Always lock your vehicle. The City of Columbia accepts no liability in the event of theft or vandalism. However, it is requested that all occurrences be reported to the Columbia Police Department’s non-emergency number at 311, or 573.442.6131.

If you see a theft in progress, please call 911.