Yes, street parking is available throughout Nashville, including downtown. What it costs, how long you can stay, and when enforcement applies varies significantly by zone, and Nashville’s parking rules went through a major change in 2023 that many visitors and even some newer residents have not fully absorbed.
The 2023 Shift: 24/7 Enforcement in the CBD
Before February 2023, street meters in downtown Nashville were free at night and on weekends. That changed when NDOT switched to 24/7 enforcement in the Central Business District, installing new smart meters and beginning enforcement around the clock.
The result: the free evening street parking that locals had relied on for years is gone in the core downtown zone. There was significant pushback from musicians, servers, and artists who had used free overnight meters as a workaround for expensive garage rates.
Current Street Meter Rates and Zones (as of April 2025)
Central Business District (downtown and SoBro): $2.00 per hour for the first two hours, $5.00 per hour for hours three and four, $6.00 per hour beyond that, up to a 10-hour maximum. Enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including evenings and Sundays.
Non-CBD metered areas (Midtown, neighborhoods outside the core): $2.00 per hour for the first two hours, same tiered pricing above that, up to 10 hours. Enforced from 6 AM to midnight, seven days a week.
Economy Zone 9 (Edgehill and select underutilized areas): $1.00 per hour, 10-hour maximum.
Nashville eliminated free evening and Sunday parking downtown in February 2023 and replaced the old 2-3 hour hard limit with the current tiered system in April 2025. A parking ticket for exceeding the time limit or failing to pay is $70.
Where Street Parking Actually Works
Street parking in Nashville is most useful in three specific situations:
Neighborhoods outside downtown (Germantown, East Nashville, 12 South): Metered or permit-restricted, but less aggressively contested than downtown. Many neighborhood streets near commercial corridors have metered spots or free parking with time limits. On neighborhood visits, street parking is often the easiest option.
Downtown on weeknights before 10:00 PM: Street spots exist and turn over. For a dinner reservation at 7:00 PM, driving a few blocks from your destination and getting lucky with a meter is a real option.
Handicap placard holders: By Tennessee state law (T.C.A. § 55-21-105), parking at any metered space is free for drivers with handicap placards or license plates, 24 hours a day. This applies to all city meters and government-owned garages.
The Practical Reality
Street parking in downtown Nashville is available and runs 24/7 in the CBD. The tiered pricing structure means short visits (under two hours) cost $4 flat, while staying longer gets progressively more expensive. For visits over two hours, comparing the tiered street meter cost against a flat-rate garage is worth doing. A garage at $10-15 for three to four hours often beats the tiered street rate for medium-length visits.
In the neighborhoods, street parking remains a functional first option, particularly in East Nashville and 12 South where there is more supply and less concentrated event-driven demand.
Sources
- Metro Nashville Paid Parking and Park Smart program: nashville.gov/departments/transportation/traffic-and-parking/parking
- WSMV Nashville, “Nashville proposes eliminating parking hour restrictions, lowering meter rates” (September 2024): wsmv.com
- NewsChannel5, “Nashville parking meters will be enforced 24/7 starting in February” (January 2023): newschannel5.com
- NewsChannel5, “Nashville is considering changes to parking rates” (September 2024): newschannel5.com
- NashvilleSMLS, downtown parking guide with zone rates (January 2024): nashvillesmls.com
- Metro Nashville paid parking FAQ: nashville.gov