Where to Park in Downtown Wilmington DE

If you’ve ever questioned where to park in Downtown Wilmington DE, look no further! There are plenty of parking options to accommodate residents and visitors, and with added Curbside valet options taking a trip Downtown has never been easier!

This public parking map is complete with maximum daily rates*, garage, and open lot locations as well as information on metered parking so your next trip into Wilmington, DE is easy breezy. Special thanks to Colonial Parking, Wilmington Parking Authority, SP+, Downtown Visions, and The City of Wilmington, DE for compiling this information.

The Wilmington Parking Authority lot at 8th & Orange Streets is free and open to the public if you enter after 6 pm during the week and all day on the weekends. Del-Tech is also providing free parking to support Lower Market Street in Lot 4 on the Southwest Corner of 2nd & Shipley Streets through June 30, 2021. Please be advised that overnight parking in the Del-Tech lot is not permitted.

Additionally, you can take advantage of FREE valet parking during Curbside Wilmington on Friday and Saturday nights through March 2021. The valet station will be centrally located at the corner of 7th & Market Streets.

To accommodate for Curbside Wilmington, a number of metered parking spots on Market Street have been converted for outdoor dining. However, downtown residents can temporarily park-off street for free thanks to the generosity of Jed Hatfield, President of Colonial Parking, Inc. Residents should contact Colonial Parking at 302-651-3600 for more information about parking availabilities. SP+ garages are also offering discounts for monthly parkers if you contact Andrew Lane at alane@spplus.com or 484.995.6297.

The City of Wilmington’s holiday season parking meter policy will be in effect from Friday, November 27 through Saturday, January 2, 2021. To support holiday shopping during this period, from Noon to 6:00 p.m. each weekday, the City will not require payment at parking meters in the Downtown Business District (defined as the area bounded by 2nd Street to 12th Street, and by French Street to Washington Street) and in the Riverfront Business District. Official holidays such as Christmas Day (December 25) remain free all day. A two-hour parking limit will remain in effect, however. For more details and restrictions, click here.

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*Rates are subject to change without notice.

Wilmington Launches Parkmobile Parking Payment System at 1,000 Parking Meters in the Downtown District

Post provided by The City of Wilmington

Beginning today, citizens can pay for parking with their mobile devices and receive a warning when the time on their meter is about to expire

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki today launched the Parkmobile payment option for metered parking in Downtown Wilmington. Beginning today, citizens can pay for parking through the Parkmobile phone app at approximately 1,000 metered spaces in the downtown district.

Finance Director Patrick Carter, Council President Hanifa Shabazz and 4th District Council Member Michele Harlee joined the Mayor for the announcement in Spencer Plaza. Also in Wilmington for today’s announcement was Brett Peze representing the City’s partners on the project—Parkmobile and Conduent.

“Parkmobile offers a convenient payment option that will improve the parking experience in downtown Wilmington,” said Mayor Purzycki. “This is an important step in modernizing our City’s on-street parking systems, which will in turn help attract customers to our shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and other businesses in and around the downtown corridor.”

Wilmington has entered into a partnership with Conduent and Parkmobile, LLC to make the Parkmobile app available to everyone at no cost to the City. In addition to paying for metered parking with their mobile phone, citizens can receive a reminder before their meter expires so they can extend their time with a few taps in the app instead of walking back to the meter. Two-hour time limits still apply, and the app will not allow customers to extend time beyond those limits.

There is a 30 cent transaction fee charged by Parkmobile for the use of its technology. However, should you decide to add money to a meter which has not already reached the two-hour limit, you will NOT be charged another transaction fee. The new service also tracks the time you arrive at a parking space and how long you’ve paid to park, which will help settle disputes from citizens who say they were ticketed with time and money remaining in their meter. Parking enforcement officers will use their handheld devices to confirm whether a customer has paid with Parkmobile.

All of the City’s downtown meters will also allow citizens to continue to pay for parking with coins or a credit card if they choose not to download the Parkmobile app. Parkmobile signage that displays zone information and additional details has been added to all parking meters.

To set up an account, you can register free on the Parkmobile app or at www.parkmobile.com. Once registered, you can immediately begin paying with Parkmobile either by using the app for iPhone, Android, or Windows 7 phones or by calling a toll-free number. Customers simply select their parking zone (which is actually a city block), license plate, card information, and length of stay, and off they go.

“This upgrade allows Wilmington residents, workers, and visitors to enjoy the same level of convenience they may have experienced at the Delaware beaches and in other cities,” continued Mayor Purzycki. “Customers will no longer need to worry about keeping coins on hand or running into stores to request change for the meters. On-street parking is one of the more common interactions that people have with the City of Wilmington, and we want to improve that experience.”

With more than 7 million customers and over 45 million transactions annually, Parkmobile is the most widely used mobile parking solution in the country and is available at nearby locations including Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, and Lewes Beach as well as in New York City, Washington, D.C., and – soon – Philadelphia.

“Parkmobile is delighted to be partnering with the City of Wilmington to offer an innovative, hassle-free parking solution,” Jon Ziglar, Parkmobile CEO expressed. “Our Parkmobile service uses cutting-edge technology to enhance the parking experience for users. We are thrilled to now offer this service in Wilmington. We eliminate the taxing process of swiping cards or feeding coins to a meter by offering a user-friendly, mobile solution.”

Download the Parkmobile App here. 

Free Parking!

I want to make sure you know about the free parking that is offered in Downtown Wilmington during the holidays.

Starting this Friday, November 25 - and going through January 1, 2017 - the city of Wilmington is offering free street parking in the Downtown District (2nd to 12th, French to Washington) and the Riverfront area starting at Noon each day.

Keep in mind that you still have to follow the time limits posted, but you don't have to "feed the meters" after noon.

Also, remember that parking is always free on weekends in Wilmington.

You can read more about the policy by clicking here.

I hope you will join me in taking advantage of this free parking to shop, dine, and enjoy all that Wilmington has to offer!

Marty