Somerville Changes Snow Parking Rules

SOMERVILLE, MA – It's a park even snow season this year, which means snow emergency parking will only be allowed on the side of the street with even-numbered houses, according to the city. But a change to the rules this year could make parking more difficult during snow emergencies.

For the first time, parking will not be allowed in school parking lots, city officials announced this week. Four hours after a snow emergency is called, gates to school lots will be closed and locked until the emergency is lifted.

The goal of the change is to allow DPW workers to clear the parking lots of snow overnight and reduce the number of school snow days.

Additional off-street parking will remain available in other municipal parking lots. Click here for a map of municipal lots where snow emergency parking is allowed.

Signs will be posted where there are exemptions for even-side parking, such as roads that only have parking on the odd-numbered side.

Snow Emergency Parking Information

• Once a snow emergency has been declared, residents have four hours to move vehicles to the correct side of the street, or into a designated municipal parking lot.
• Vehicles not moved during this window of time may be ticketed ($100 fine) and towed ($100 fine assessed by the tow company).
• Vehicles parked within 20 feet of any intersection may be ticketed and towed.
• For a list of designated municipal parking lots available for snow emergency parking, visit www.somervillema.gov/snow.
• Residents are encouraged to sign up for phone, email, and text alerts by visiting www.somervillema.gov/alerts.

For more information on the City’s snow removal and snow emergency policies, visit www.somervillema.gov/snow, or download the City’s 311 app in iTunes or Google Play by searching “311Somerville.”

Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images