Portsmouth’s increased downtown parking rate of $1 per hour went into effect last week, and enforcement of parking meters on Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. will begin on May 15. The previous rate was 75 cents per hour, and parking was free on Sundays.

The City Council approved a measure to enforce parking rates on Sundays during a meeting on May 2. During the same meeting, the Council voted against establishing variable parking rates in certain sections of downtown.

The city also recently designated 45 spaces in the free Parrott Avenue parking lot for teachers and staff members at Portsmouth Middle School. Those spaces now require a permit between 6:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays to accommodate teachers while construction is underway on the Middle School renovation project.

The city had considered installing parking meters at the remaining spaces in the Parrott Avenue lot, but opted to table that discussion until October in the face of strong public opposition. Some residents contend a deed restriction on the property prohibits paid parking enforcement. 

The increased rates and hours in the downtown area are expected to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for the city. 

The parking rate at the 24-hour High-Hanover Parking Facility on Hanover Street is still 75 cents per hour.