City of Coeur d'Alene - Parking in Downtown Coeur d'Alene Frequently Asked Questions

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A Brief Overview of Downtown Coeur d'Alene Public Parking and Frequently Asked Questions

Has there always been paid parking in Coeur d'Alene?

Yes, there has always been a combination of paid and free parking. Until the 1980’s, parking meters were utilized on streets and some lots. Ordinances later changed and incorporated parking monitoring systems and services.

Why does 2-hour free parking exist and when did it start?

2-hour free parking began at the request of the downtown business owners’ association over two decades ago. It allowed customers convenient access to dine and/or shop in an effort to support year-round operation of downtown businesses. Providing 2-hour on-street parking encourages turnover of parking spaces for short-term visits, which provided for a higher volume of customers.

How can I pay for parking?

There are kiosks (pay stations) in City-owned lots. Instructions are posted on signage at each lot. You can also download the PARKMOBILE.IO app on your smart phone for a convenient way to pay for parking in any Diamond-managed lot.

How much is a monthly permit and who can buy them?

Different lots have different guidelines. Monthly parking passes are available to the general public for the McEuen parking lot and the Coeur d’Alene Avenue Garage. Monthly parking passes for the McEuen parking lot and the Coeur d’ Alene Avenue Garage can be purchased at www.diamondparking.com or call (208) 667-0965.

Where can I park with a handicapped parking placard?

Those with a blue placard handicap identified vehicle can park at any time in any legal parking space in any city lot or on-street, for any length of time, and can park in any Diamond Parking-owned lot marked as a handicap space at any time for any amount of time, at no charge.

How many 2-hour free parking places are there in downtown Coeur d'Alene?

There are 2,268 Downtown Public Parking Spaces. 1,034 spaces offer free parking, 700 spaces are 2-hour on-street free parking, with the first 2 hours free, and 218 all-day free parking spots are located in the East McEuen lot (south of City Hall). In addition, there are 116, 2-hour free parking spaces for library patrons in the library parking lot.

Where can I find parking rates for each City-owned parking lot?

Go to maps.cdaid.org and click the “Downtown Parking” icon.

Where are the City-owned and privately owned parking lots in Coeur d'Alene?

Please CLICK HERE to view a map of all City-owned and privately owned parking lots in Coeur d'Alene.

Why do cars have to move 300 feet (Downtown Coeur d'Alene) after the 2-hour expiration?

This rule is in place due to abuse of 2-hour free parking by staff/owners of downtown establishments. Until recently, enforcement allowed for no parking in same space for longer than two hours, but some people moved their vehicle back and forth in the same block all day, so the 300 foot rule was designed to discourage that abuse and keep the original intent of the 2-hour free parking (for customers) in place. When parking downtown, citizens must not park within 300 feet of their original parking location for at least 3 hours after the expiration of the initial two (2) hour period, regardless of how long the vehicle may have been parked in the spaceSee Municipal Code section 10.24.030.

What if I don't pay my ticket?

A patron has 10 days to appeal the citation and 15 days to submit payment. If the citation is not paid after 15 days, the City of Coeur d’Alene will send a notice that the ticket is past due, without any additional charges. If the citation is not paid within 30 days of the notice, the citation is sent to Chapman Financial Services for collection.

How can I appeal my ticket if I think it was an error?

The appeal process is outlined at www.cdaid.org/parking.

Why is there no longer 2-hour free parking in the McEuen parking lot/garage?

· The McEuen/Tubbs Hill parking lot has been determined to have the largest number of “out of Coeur d’Alene” visitors. Charging for parking allows the City to collect a user fee from non-tax-paying visitors in order to fund maintenance of the park.

· The PARKMOBILE.IO App facilitates payment for parking without going to the pay station and allows for extending parking time without returning to the parking lot.

Why can't Idaho/Kootenai County plates not have to pay to park?

The monitoring of that style of program has proven to be cost-prohibitive and unenforceable. Further, feedback from Coeur d’Alene residents is that they don’t support it because there is no funding to support parks maintenance from the County, surrounding communities or out-of-city visitors. A county plate system still shifts the entire cost burden for parks maintenance to only those inside the City of Cd’A, when all in Kootenai County use them.

Have there been professional parking studies done?

Yes, the last Parking Study was completed in 2016 and can be viewed at: http://www.cdaid.org/files/Finance/ParkingStudy2016.pdf

Some findings include:

* The City needed to provide additional parking (which was done with the parking garage).

* Consistency in parking signage was recommended.

* As the Downtown continues to grow and parking demand continues to increase, a fully paid parking system may need to be considered.

What is the Parking Commission?

The mission of the Parking Commission is “To recommend strategies to elected officials and city administration to provide an adequate supply of parking to serve the needs of the community while encouraging a healthy business climate and economy for the City.”

Information on the Parking Commission, including its objectives, membership rules and meeting schedules can be found at https://www.cdaid.org/220/committees/parking-commission

Why does the City use Diamond Parking out of Seattle?

The city is required by law to solicit bids for contracts for services over $50,000. Diamond Parking was the only bid for the parking contract. They are one of the largest, most technologically adept and most professional parking companies in the Northwest. The city itself or other smaller organizations could not provide the services required for anywhere near the same price. Diamond Parking has staff offices in Coeur d’Alene and a regional office in Spokane as well as many other communities throughout the Northwest. Their corporate headquarters are in Seattle.

What percentage of money collected in parking fees goes into maintaining the parks?

All net proceeds from parking revenues are put back in to public parking lots and parks throughout the City. Currently, Diamond Parking receives approximately 25% of revenue collected from parking fees for their contract to provide parking services to the City of Coeur d’Alene. Out of the 25%, Diamond Parking pays for operating expenses.

Where else does money for maintaining parks and parking lots come from?

Funds for maintaining parks and parking lots comes from City of Coeur d'Alene tax revenue, Parks Foundation grants for improvements, and parking fees. Only taxes and user fees, collected via parking fees, are available to generate money for parks and parking lot maintenance. If paid parking isn't located where the majority of out-of-city limits visitors park, there is no other way to have those users pay their fair share.

Where else does the money go?

Parking revenues go to maintaining parking facilities, establishing a parking facility maintenance reserve fund for major repairs and equipment replacement, and are used to pay for park maintenance and enhancement projects. Through parks revenue, the City can maintain parks personnel and maintenance without relying solely on taxes from the citizens of the city of Coeur d’Alene. This is part of the City Park 5-year plan.

Is there data on how many people park in different lots, so tourist vs. local traffic can be tracked?

Diamond Parking is currently testing a software feature that may be able to do that; however, it is already a fairly known quantity based on parking studies and uses already completed.

What about boat launch fees at 3rd Street?

The boat launch fees go into the Parking Fund. Annual season passes for residents are $50, and out-of-state residents will pay $100 for a season pass. The launch fee is $10 for in-state and $12 for out-of-state residents.

What happens to the parking fees collected during special events?

All fees collected during special events go to the Parking Fund, with the exception of fees collected on the 4th of July. On the 4th of July, any special event parking fees collected above the normal rate go to the Chamber of Commerce to help pay for 4th of July festivities.