New Bellingham parking app feature lets you move your car without paying again
Parking in Bellingham is getting easier with the PayByPhone app, which allows drivers to register their cars with an online account and use a smartphone instead of a credit/debit card or cash.
All street parking downtown will use a single PayByPhone zone starting Monday, the same way parking works in Fairhaven.
“Pay near City Hall and then re-park on Railroad Avenue? Your session will now go with you,” the city said at its website. New signs and an app update are planned.
About 576,000 drivers used PayByPhone transactions in 2025, Public Works Department spokesman Connor Harron told The Bellingham Herald. Nearly 60% of drivers used the app for parking, the city said. Meters and pay stations will continue to accept credit/debit cards and coins.
Paid parking hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Costs are progressive to encourage turnover and creating more available parking, Harron said:
- $1.50 per hour for the first two hours.
- $2 per hour for hours three and four.
- $3 per hour for hours five and six.
- $5 per hour for the seventh hour.
Revenue from on-street parking, parking lots, parking permits and fines totaled $2.3 million in 2025, Harron said.
Parking revenue supports the city’s parking services program, including maintenance and staffing. Part of those funds go toward support for the Downtown Bellingham Partnership and other organizations in Fairhaven, he said.
