What is preferential parking?

City Preferential and Time-Restricted Parking Map, 2015. Full PDF here.

Preferential parking districts (PPD) are located throughout the City. Vehicles may not park in most parking districts without a valid parking permit. Free timed parking is available in some parking districts, in which vehicles with valid parking permits are exempt from the timed parking restrictions.

Permit parking in Davis comes in three flavors:

1. Residential: allows residents to park onstreet in a preferential parking district.

2. Commuter: allows Downtown employees to park all day without time limits in designated on- and off-street parking areas.

3. Other Permits: (see below)

4th / G St Parking Structure: monthly parking permits are available for $40 per month. Contact Central Parking Systems at (916) 441-1074 for additional information. (Price is subject to change without notice.)

UC Davis: student, faculty, staff, and visitor parking permits are available. Visit Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) or call (530) 752-8277 for additional information.

Amtrak & Yolo County Parking Lots: parking permits are avilable only to Amtrak travellers and qualified employees, respectively.

Why is there a need for preferential parking?

Some university faculty, students and staff must drive to campus because they live too far away to bike. Others just drive because they're too lazy to bike, or because they live downtown and use their car for work. Whatever the reason, the result is a major parking problem along the residential streets near campus. This problem exists to some degree in other areas of our Fair City as well. The solution has been to impose a residential parking permit program. Permits expire September 30th of each year and are issued by the Davis Police Department.

Links to additional information

Preferential Parking Districts (PPD)

Davis Parking Permits Information

  • D — "D" Permit PPD. Downtown (commuter district). Covers both levels of the 1st and F Sreet Parking Structure.
  • E — City Employee Permit. Covers the City Hall Parking Lot, the east side of A St next to City Hall, and the 504 5th Street Lot at the corner of 5th and D Streets.
  • H — Harvard Drive PPD. One block in length, and the only "no parking 24/7" PPD in the City. Created in 1999 to spite RogerClark and his roommates. Long story.
  • N — Old North Davis PPD. Residential area bordered roughly by B St, G St, 5th St, and 7th St. 200 parking spaces (with an "N" painted in each) are restricted to "N" permit holders; all other spaces are unrestricted.
  • P — West Davis PPD. Residential area bordered roughly by Highway 113, Anderson Rd, Russell Blvd, and Cornell Dr, excluding dormitory, commercial, and apartment complex frontage.
  • Q — "Q" Permit PPD. Residential area bordered roughly by Sycamore Ln, Anderson Rd, W 8th St, and Villanova Dr.
  • R — "I" Street PPD. Downtown. I St between 2nd and 5th Streets, and 4th St between I and J Streets. Created to address parking problems associated with the Stadium 5 movie theater at 4th and G Streets.
  • S — Davis Senior High School PPD. Residential area adjacent to Davis Senior High School bordered roughly by Anderson Rd, B St, W 8th St/E 8th St, and W Covell Blvd. Created to address parking problems associated with the high school.
  • T — Old East Davis PPD. Downtown. 3rd St (south side) between J St and K St, J St between 2nd and 3rd Streets, and K St (west side) between 2nd and 3rd Streets. Created to address parking problems associated with Amtrak commuters.
  • U — North Campus PPD. Residential area bordered roughly by Sycamore Ln, A St, Russell Blvd, and W 8th St/E 8th St.
  • W — University Avenue PPD. Downtown. Residential area bordered roughtly by A St, B St, 1st St, and Russell Blvd.
  • X — Core Area PPD. Downtown (commuter and residential district). Residential area bordered roughly by B St, G St, 1st St, and 5th St, excluding 2 hour timed parking zones. Also covers the Boy Scout Cabin Lot, B St between 6th and 7th Streets, and the alley west of I St between 3rd & 5th Streets.

It should be noted that many of the neighborhood associations near campus have struggled to make the permit programs fair to both residents and commuters. A major problem for the residents, however, is that many of them do not have off street parking. If they go to the grocery store, for example, they may come back home and find that they have to drive around for a half hour to re-park. I (cm) know of one neighborhood leader near campus who negotiated with the city for months to try to keep a fraction of his block open to students and another fair fraction restricted to residents (see "N" permit, above). Save the residents a headache and ride your bike (if possible, of course).

 

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