Downtown Fargo's 2 a.m. Parking Rule, Explained

Downtown Fargo bans street parking from 2 to 7 a.m. every night - but only on one side of the grid. Which side, where it applies, and where to park free.

Leave your car on a downtown Fargo street overnight and you might wake up to a ticket - or no car. But the rule isn't "no overnight parking." It's subtler than that, and once you know it, it's easy.

The rule

In downtown Fargo's Central Business District, on-street parking is restricted from 2 to 7 a.m., all year:1

Morning No parking on
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday East-west avenues
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday North-south streets

So every morning, exactly one direction is off-limits and the other is fine. Thursday night, for example, rolls into a Friday morning - that's an avenue morning, so park on a street.

Cars parked in violation can be ticketed or impounded by the police department.1

Where it applies

The Central Business District runs roughly from 2nd St. N. west to University Drive, and from 6th Ave. S. up to 7th-9th Ave. N. The exact line zigzags street by street, so check the city's boundary map.1 ("Roughly" is our summary - the map is the real thing.)

Or skip the street entirely

  • City-owned surface lots are free "after hours," 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., except during special events.1
  • The Roberts Commons Garage (217 Roberts St. N.) is free every day from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m., and all weekend from 5 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Monday. Otherwise the first 2 hours are free, 2-4 hours is $3, 4-6 hours is $5, and the daily max is $8.2

Don't want to remember the table? Our downtown parking page tells you tonight's side. And when the city calls a snow emergency, check the snow emergency rules too.

References

  1. City of Fargo, Overnight Parking and Central Business District map↩↩↩↩

  2. City of Fargo, The City of Fargo Announces New Public Parking System at Roberts Commons Garage↩