Downtown Des Moines Parking

Visit Park Downtown Des Moines for additional information. 

Free

• Meters and city garages/ramps are free on Sundays 
• Meters covered by a green bag are free
• Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. and all day on weekends these lots are free:
  • 5th & Cherry St Courthouse Lot
  • 5th & Wagner Courthouse Lot
  • NE corner of 2nd & Court Avenue Polk County Administration Lot
  • SW corner of 2nd & Court Avenue Election Office Lot
• Monday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. and all day on weekends this lot is free:
  • SE Corner of 10th/Locust (FHLB lot by the Temple)
• Parking is always free on these streets, but vehicles must move every 24 hours
  • Pennsylvania Avenue, E Court to Des Moines Street
  • River Bridges: Court, Walnut, Locust, and Grand
  • North Side of Locust, from 15th to 17th
     

Meters

• Monday through Saturday pay meters from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 
• Rates range from $0.25 to $1.25 per hour 
  • The primary streets in the Historic Court District and Historic East Village are $1.25 per hour. As you get farther from those streets the cheaper the rate becomes. 
  • Historic Court Avenue meters are $1.75 after 5 p.m. 
• Coins and credit cards are acceptable forms of payment at all parking pay stations. Visa, Mastecard, Discover, and American Express cards are accepted. All the pay stations are connected, so it doesn't matter if you use the closest pay station to where you parked your car. 
• Paying for parking through your mobile device is now available in Des Moines. Residents and visitors can now download the ParkDSM app through ParkMobile. If you already have a ParkMobile app affiliated with another city, that app will also work in the city of Des Moines to pay for parking.
   

Ramps/Garages

• There are eight city-owned parking garages
• Monday through Saturday the rate is $1 per hour with a $10 max per day
• During the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market, the rates at the 3rd and Court, 4th and Grand,5th and Walnut, and 8th and Mulberry garages change to a flat $5 fee 
• Special event rates for other downtown events, either $5 or $10 will also be available in the city-owned garages during an event. Be sure to look for signs at the entrance to a garage.