Parking Meters

All on-street City of Charleston parking meters are active and require payment Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (excluding Sunday and official city holidays). Other parking restrictions may apply to parking meter spaces. Obey all signs and reserved meter bag instructions.

Rates & Payment

There is a standard rate of 30 minutes per dollar or 1.5 minutes per nickel, 3 minutes per dime, and 7.5 minutes per quarter. All meters accept credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, & American Express), coins and the City of Charleston SmartCard. The SmartCard is an economical and convenient payment method for parking meters in the city of Charleston. It is similar to a merchant gift card: patrons pay a one-time charge of $5 for the card and purchase meter time that goes onto the card. These can be purchased at the Revenue Collections Parking Division office located at:
180 Lockwood Boulevard
2nd Floor
Charleston, SC 29403

Weekend parking rules along King Street

Street parking on King Street between Spring and John streets is prohibited from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

Alternative, discounted parking for this area is available at the Visitor Center Garage, located at 63 Mary Street. This garage offers a $7 flat rate fee after 3 p.m. and a $5 flat rate fee after 5 p.m. The discounted evening rate ends at 3 a.m. and reverts to the regular garage rate ($1 per half hour). Additional parking at the $1 per half hour rate is available at the Midtown Garage (558 King Street) and Marion Square Garage (399 King Street).

Malfunctioning & Broken Meters

If you see a malfunctioning or broken parking meter, it would be most helpful for you to report it to the Revenue Collections Parking Division office at 843-724-7375 or submit a request electronically through the Citizen Service Desk.