Parking requirements are changing across Washington, which makes the work of managing existing parking more important. The Washington State Department of Commerce has now published Guidance for Parking Management, authored by Studio Davis to help local governments make that shift thoughtfully and practically.
The guide covers residential neighborhoods, downtowns, and commercial areas. It addresses how communities can understand demand, engage the public, communicate parking rules, and use tools such as time limits, permits, pricing, and enforcement in support of broader goals for housing, access, business activity, and neighborhood livability.
We are especially proud of the residential permit guidance. Permit programs look simple from a distance, but the details determine whether they work: where a district begins and ends, who qualifies, how many permits may be issued, what they cost, how visitors and caregivers are handled, and whether the city can realistically administer and enforce the rules.
Studio Davis reviewed nearly every residential permit program we could identify in Washington and spoke with practitioners about how different communities adapted the tool to their own conditions. The resulting workflow helps communities define the problem first, then design a permit system around local goals, constraints, equity considerations, and administrative capacity.
We are glad to see the finished guide out in the world, and proud that it gives Washington communities something they can put to work.