PARK(ing) Day

Create your own park this September 20 from 9AM to 3PM! PARK(ing) Day happens every third Friday in September and is an opportunity for artists, activists, and community members to temporarily make parking spaces into parks. The event raises awareness about important issues like creating a walkable, livable, healthy city. The original PARK(ing) Day concept was developed by Rebar.

The deadline for park applications is August 30.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I create a park?

You can partner with SDOT under one street use permit, or you can apply for your own. Either way, individuals are responsible for a number of steps:

Partnering with SDOT:

• Choose two mid-block parking spaces on an arterial street, or one mid-block space on a residential street.
• Notify nearby businesses about what you are planning.
• Contact Dawn.Schellenberg@Seattle.gov by August 30:
• If partnering with SDOT, give them a location description and the parking space numbers found either on the heads of meters, or on round metal plates bolted to the sidewalk.
• Give SDOT a copy of your site plan. Use the (PARK)ing Day Standard Layout Plan to prepare it.
• Rent and place temporary ‘no parking’ signs 72 hours in advance. Search the Internet for “barricades Seattle” or look in the telephone yellow pages under “Barricades.” These are mandatory. SDOT does not provide them.

If you are not partnering with SDOT:

• Apply for a Street Use Permit by August 30. The permit and inspection fee is $251 and insurance is required.
• If your park is on a arterial street:
• Two mid-block parking spaces are required.
• Notify businesses about what you are planning to do.
• Rent and place temporary ‘no parking’ signs 72 hours in advance.
• If your park is on a residential street:
• Only one mid-block parking space is needed.
• Rent and place temporary ‘no parking’ signs 72 hours in advance.
• No ‘meter hood’ permits are necessary.
• More details are on our Temporary No Parking web page.
• Use the (PARK)ing Day Standard Layout Plan to prepare your site plan.

How large can my park be?

The space must be two parallel parking spaces on arterial streets and one space on residential streets.

Are there restrictions on how tall items can be?

Any items over three feet in height must be placed within four feet of the curb, not next to the travel lane.

How can I protect or enclose my spot?

Place at least seven 36 inch tall orange traffic cones on arterial streets and a minimum of five on residential streets to define the PARK(ing) space from moving traffic.
Refer to the (PARK)ing Day Standard Layout Plan.

Where can I rent traffic cones and temporary ‘no parking’ signs?

You can find a business by searching the Internet for ‘barricades Seattle’ or looking in the phone book yellow pages under the heading ‘barricades.’

Are there time restrictions?

Yes, on-street parking spaces can only be used between 9AM and 3PM. All setup and teardown must occur between these hours.

What type of activities can I do?

Put out tables, chairs and host arts, crafts, games, or other cultural and park-like activities. Please no banners, charcoal BBQs, canopies, or amplified sound. More information on what is allowed, or not allowed can be found in our guidelines.