As leaves fall, some street parking rates rise in Seattle

October in Seattle means cooler autumn temperatures as the leaves turn magnificent colors, the air gets dewy with a subtle scent of a wood fire crackling in an old stove, and the days end under the orange-ember glow of feathery clouds stretching across the horizon — also, the city jacks up parking rates throughout town.

RELATED: More housing is on the way, but parking? Maybe not

Yes, it's that time of year when the Seattle Department of Transportation announces how much street parking prices will change, and where. It varies from neighborhood to neighborhood. For 2024, SDOT says "most rates will not increase," but starting Oct. 15, about 26% of city streets will see a 50-cent rise in parking rates.

Among the areas getting hit with 50-cent hikes are:

• Ballard (core): $6 per hour in the afternoon and $6 in the evening
• Chinatown/ID: $5.50 in the evening
• Columbia City: $5.50 in the afternoon and $6 in the evening
• Commercial Core – Waterfront: $6 in the afternoon and $5 in the evening
• Denny Triangle (north): $6 in the afternoon
• First Hill: $5.50 in the afternoon
• Fremont: $6.50 in the evening
• Pike/Pine corridor: $6.50 in the evening
• See more rates below

To be fair, rates do drop in some areas (Seattle maintained or lowered rates in two-thirds of the city in 2022, and rates went up for two-thirds of the city in 2023). This year, SDOT says that street parking rates won't change along 60% of city roads, while 14% will decrease by 50 cents, such as the edge of Ballard where rates will go down to $4.50 in the evening, or Green Lake where rates will go down to $5 in the afternoon.

This up and down pricing dance is because Seattle manages street parking volumes by raising and lowering rates a few times a year. If parking is pretty tight in an area, rates go up. If parking is more easy to find, rates go down. The time of day is also a factor.

RELATED: A Belltown parking spot sold for $56K in 2022

Since about 2011, city leaders have favored the idea that raising parking prices in an area encourages drivers to more frequently move their cars, freeing up spaces for other drivers. In the end, more people get to use the area (they don't seem to consider the idea that folks work eight-hour shifts and are merely running outside on their break to move their car a block away, most likely trading a parking spot with a driver doing the exact same thing).

So, as the fiery red and gold Northwest leaves fall and settle on the ground, Seattle drivers will settle into these new parking rates — until spring 2025.