City of Columbus permit parking

What Merion Village Residents Should Know About the New Parking Permit Program

Written by Eric May, MVA Member-at-Large
​[email protected]

If you have noticed new parking signs going up around the neighborhood, you are not alone, and you likely have questions.

​The City of Columbus has been rolling out its German Village Area permit parking program in phases, and the most recent phases have reached parts of Merion Village in 2026. Here is a plain explanation of what the program is, how we got here, and where to go for help.

How we got here

Beginning in 2023, the City of Columbus Division of Mobility and Parking Services held roughly a year and a half of public and working group meetings covering German Village, Schumacher Place, and Merion Village. Those sessions looked at parking, walkability, bike infrastructure, and neighborhood development, and they concluded with a final public presentation at the German Village Meeting Haus on October 23rd, 2024.

The City's plan called for permit parking to be deployed in six phases over about a year. An earlier version of the plan would have pushed the permit boundary considerably further south into Merion Village. At a regular, open Merion Village Association meeting, residents told City staff directly that the deeper expansion was not needed, and the City scaled the boundary back. The portion that remains reaches into the northern part of our neighborhood - Zone 5.

How does the permit parking program work?

The permits are virtual, which means your license plate becomes your permit. You can apply for and manage everything through an online account, with one account per address, and enforcement is handled by license plate recognition cameras. The basics:

• Resident permit: $25 per year, one per licensed driver
• Guest permit: $25 per year, one per address, plus 24-hour guest passes at $3 each (up to 150 per year)
• Reduced rate: $10 for qualifying low-income households
• Non-residents may park for three hours between 8 AM and midnight; permit holders are exempt

To apply you will need a government-issued photo ID and proof of residency such as a utility bill, mortgage statement, tax bill, or signed lease. You can learn more and apply at ParkColumbus.com, or reach Parking Services at [email protected] or 614.645.6400.

Zones 1-5 as outlined in the German Village Parking Plan are officially live and under enforcement. 

More information about the program can be found here:

​https://www.columbus.gov/Business-Development/Design-Construction/Street-Road-Projects/Capital-Project-Information/German-Village-Parking-Plan

Association involvement

We want to be clear on this point. This is a City of Columbus program. The Merion Village Association did not create it, did not design the zones, did not set the fees, and did not decide where the boundaries fall. Those decisions rest entirely with the City.

What we have done is host City staff at our public meetings, carry resident feedback to the people making the decisions regarding the permit plan, and advocate on your behalf. 

Have questions?

If you have questions about your specific street, timing, or enforcement, Kristian Sims with the City has been a responsive contact at [email protected].

We also want to hear from you. Share your thoughts with the board and join us at an upcoming meeting, and we will keep posting updates here as we learn more.