City of Albuquerque now charging some residents to park in front of their home

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Some people in busy Albuquerque neighborhoods now have to pay to park on the street in front of their homes. Katy Houska and Jennifer Gomez have lived near the University of New Mexico for five years, without a driveway and are forced to park in the street. They’ve always gotten a free permit from the city to do so, but not this year.

“They’re trying to prevent students from taking up resident parking,” said Houska, who lives on Stanford, only a couple blocks from campus. The permits must be updated every year, and Houska says it’s a chore to get one.

Now the city says they’re making it more convenient, by allowing residents to get their permits online, but that convenience comes at a cost. “We were able to bring in a third-party vendor to help amend the program for us, so that’s a cost to the city of about $2,500,” said Jeremy Keiser, the City’s Parking Division Manager.

That means every resident who lives on one of those streets near UNM, or downtown now has to pay $25 a year, per car, to park in front of their own home.

“Twenty-five dollars every year to be able to park where we live, feels like New York City prices,” said Houska, an unexpected expense that Houska says is unfiar. The City says the money will pay for that online system, and will also allow them to hire another parking enforcement officer to keep ticketing people who hog up spaces in those neighborhoods, without a permit.

“All of it requires money to make sure everyone is in compliance in the neighborhood,” said Keiser. Residents also have to pay $25 for a visitor permit, for any company they may have over.

About 100 streets in 11 different Albuquerque neighborhoods utilize on-street permit parking to ensure residents have a place to park in front of their homes. Neighborhoods near UNM, Downtown and near the State Fair are a few examples of where on-street permit parking is necessary. Each resident in an on-street permit parking district is able to receive 1 resident and 2 visitor passes or 2 resident and 1 visitor pass.

“In the past residents had to come to the parking enforcement office to renew their permits,” said Municipal Development Director Pat Montoya in a press release Friday. “They can still do that if they want to, but for those who would prefer to skip the line or the in-person visit, we’re introducing a fee-based online system to get their permit from the comfort of their home.”

People can access the online on-street permit parking website at https://cabqparkingpermits.rmcpay.com/#account_start