Brookline prohibits overnight parking on any street between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. The town runs a permit program for residents without off-street parking, and it covers 325 spaces in total.
Those 325 spaces mean parking in Brookline isn't something to sort out after you move. It should change which listings you consider in the first place.
The rule, and the permit that partly solves it
The rule: no vehicle may park on any Brookline street for longer than one hour between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., any day of the week. This is a standing rule, not a winter or snow-emergency measure.
Snow emergencies: once one is declared, no car may park on any street, at any hour.
The permit: the town rents 325 spaces across 11 town-owned lots plus the Courtyard Marriott Hotel to residents without off-street parking.
Cost: $100 a month, billed quarterly at $300.
Hours with a sticker: 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and all day on Sundays and holidays.
To apply: online through the town's Accela permit portal, or with a printable application submitted in person or by mail to the Transportation Division, Brookline Town Hall, 333 Washington Street, 4th floor. The car must be registered in Massachusetts to a Brookline address. Students may use an out-of-state registration with proof of current student status and proof of residency.
Heath Street lot: residents on eligible streets near the Heath School in Chestnut Hill can apply separately to park in the school lot from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Waitlist: the lots have one. Call 617-730-2177 with your name, Brookline address and phone number, and the town calls you when a space opens.
Note what the permit does and doesn't do. It gets you a space in a designated lot overnight. It does not let you park on the street, and it does not cover the daytime.
What 325 spaces actually means
325 overnight spaces for a town of more than 60,000 people is a small allocation, and a wait is normal. This is not a program designed to absorb everyone who owns a car and rents an apartment without a driveway.
We're not going to tell you how long the wait is, because that changes and we haven't verified a current figure. The town does say spaces turn over significantly every three months because of its quarterly billing, so a wait can be shorter than the numbers suggest. Call the Transportation Division at 617-730-2177 and ask. They'll tell you, and it's worth knowing before you sign a lease rather than after.
Treat a town permit as a possibility, not a plan. If your housing decision depends on having somewhere to put a car overnight, the reliable version of that is a unit that comes with a space.
If your apartment doesn't come with a space
| Option | What it involves | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Town overnight permit | Apply online through the town's permit portal, or in person or by mail at Town Hall | 325 spaces town-wide, with a waitlist. Call 617-730-2177 for current status |
| Courtyard Marriott monthly | Listed among the town's overnight lots | The town says to contact the hotel directly for availability |
| Private driveway or garage | Renting an unused space from a homeowner, often via a parking marketplace | Availability varies a lot by neighborhood and it's a private arrangement, so read what you're signing. The town also publishes a list of licensed private lots that rent overnight spaces by the month. |
| Guest overnight pass | $10 a night in a designated town lot, 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., paid at the lot kiosk or in the Passport app | For visitors, not your own car. If you live more than a quarter mile from the nearest guest lot, your guest can get a $10 permit for your street instead |
| A unit that includes parking | Filter for it when you search | The only fully reliable option, and it's worth real money in Brookline |
| Go without a car | Brookline is served by the Green Line C and D branches, with the B and E reachable from the town's edges | Genuinely viable in much of the town — see the easiest Boston neighborhoods to own a car in for where a car helps and where it's a liability |
Availability in every row changes. Confirm current terms rather than planning around what's written here.
Daytime is a separate program
The overnight permit and the daytime permit are two different programs, and holding one doesn't give you the other. This trips people up regularly.
By default, no car may park on any Brookline street for more than two hours between 6 a.m. and 2 a.m., except on Sundays and holidays. The town's resident daytime permit lifts that limit on your own residential side street.
It costs $30 a year per vehicle and runs July 1 to June 30, whatever date you buy it. You need a driver's license and a Massachusetts registration showing the car garaged in Brookline. It does not allow overnight parking or override posted rules, and about 20 streets do not qualify, including Harvard Street, Webster Street and parts of Beacon Street. Check the town's list before you count on it.
What to ask before you sign
Parking is the question to raise on the first call about a listing, not after you've decided you want the apartment.
- Does the unit come with a space? And is it deeded, assigned, or first-come?
- Is it included in the rent, or billed separately? In Brookline a space carries real value, and landlords often list it as its own line item.
- If there's no space, has the current tenant been using a town permit? Useful signal about what's realistically available in that area.
- Is there a driveway, and who else uses it? Shared driveways in two- and three-family houses are common and the arrangement matters.
If parking is a requirement rather than a preference, filter for it from the start. Spot Easy can show you Brookline apartments with parking, and a unit page lists the number of spaces and the monthly cost where the agent has provided them, with no broker fee on partner units.
For the wider picture on renting here, including costs, the Green Line branches and how the neighborhoods differ, see our guide to living in Brookline. If you're weighing Brookline against Cambridge, note that Cambridge runs its own separate system, covered in Cambridge rental parking permits. And if you're still deciding whether to bring a car at all, what to know about bringing a car to Boston is the place to start.
Where this stops being general advice
This page describes the town's published program as of August 2026. Two things it can't tell you:
- Whether a space is available in a given lot right now, or how long the current wait is. Call the Transportation Division.
- Whether a specific apartment includes parking. Ask the landlord or agent before you tour.
Fees, space counts and program terms are the town's to change. Confirm current details with the Town of Brookline before relying on anything here.
Frequently asked questions
Can you park on the street overnight in Brookline?
No. Parking is prohibited on any Brookline street for more than an hour between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., every day of the week.
How much is a Brookline resident overnight parking permit?
$100 a month, billed quarterly at $300.
How many overnight parking spaces does Brookline have?
325, across 11 town-owned lots plus the Courtyard Marriott Hotel.
When can I use an overnight permit space?
From 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and all day on Sundays and holidays.
How do I apply?
Online through the town's Accela permit portal, or with a printable application submitted in person or by mail to the Transportation Division, Brookline Town Hall, 333 Washington Street, 4th floor. The car must be registered in Massachusetts to a Brookline address. Students may use an out-of-state registration with proof of student status and residency.
Is there a waiting list?
Yes. Call 617-730-2177 with your name, Brookline address and phone number. The town says spaces turn over significantly every three months.
Is the daytime permit the same thing?
No. The daytime permit is a separate $30-a-year program, valid July 1 to June 30, that lets you park longer than two hours on a qualifying residential street during the day. It does not cover overnight parking.
Should I rule out apartments without parking?
If you own a car and can't rely on getting a permit, an included space is the only fully reliable option. It's worth treating as a filter rather than a bonus.
Sources
The overnight parking prohibition, the 325-space allocation across 11 town lots and the Courtyard Marriott, the fee and its quarterly billing, the permitted hours, the application requirements and the waitlist number are all as published by the Town of Brookline, checked August 2026 and rechecked October 20, 2026. The daytime and snow rules, the daytime permit terms and the guest overnight program are from the town's parking pages, read October 20, 2026.
We have deliberately not published waitlist lengths, per-lot availability, or ticket and towing amounts, because we could not verify current figures for any of them.
Program terms change. Confirm with the Town of Brookline's Transportation Division before making a decision that depends on them.