COVID-19 Update 1/21/21:
Curbside: To support local businesses, MCDOT is offering FREE curbside parking near some vital Downtown Bethesda businesses such as restaurants, pharmacies, and food stores to facilitate quick pick ups.
Click here for a map of these designated areas.
Garage Parking: In an effort to help residents who must remain at home during this time, MCDOT is offering special free parking in the Auburn/Del Ray Garage (Garage 36) located at 4910 Auburn Avenue. Free parking will end in this garage on or about February 1, 2021
Click here to read Montgomery County's latest press release about relaxed parking restrictions.
While parking can be hard to come by in Bethesda, there are nine public parking garages and eight surface lots located in downtown Bethesda. County parking areas are easily visible by the blue signs marked with a white "P".
Preferred Parking is available in the garages for carpools and vanpools. Garage 11 and the Capital Crescent Garage (formerly Lot 31) features a state-of-the-art Pay-On-Foot system.
In the Fall of 2019, six Montgomery County Parking Facilities in Downtown Bethesda parking facilities are getting new payment systems!
The single-space meters will be removed and replaced with centralized pay stations that operate like the old meters where customers estimate their duration and prepay before leaving their cars.
The new system allows for payment with coins, bills ($1 and $5 only), credit cards and pay by cell. Pay stations do not give change. The pay by cell options allow for impending expiration reminders and the ability to add or stop time remotely. Residents pay for parking and can also add time at any of the conveniently located pay stations. Pay stations prompt users in multiple languages.
The facilities with the new payment systems are:
Garage 35: Woodmont Rugby Garage
Garage 36: Auburn Del Ray Garage
Garage 40: Cordell - St. Elmo Garage
Garage 42: Cheltenham Garage
Garage 57: Bethesda-Elm Garage
Lot 25: Maple Avenue Lot
| Garages | Lots |
| 11 Woodmont Avenue & Old Georgetown Road | 10 Walsh Street |
| Capital Crescent Garage (formerly Lot 31) | 24 Willow Lane & Leland Street |
| 35 Woodmont Avenue & Rugby Avenue | 25 Maple Avenue & Highland Avenue |
| 36 Auburn Avenue & Del Ray Avenue | 28 Cordell Avenue |
| 40 St. Elmo Avenue | 43 Woodmont Avenue |
| 42 Cheltenham Drive | 44 West Virginia Avenue |
| 47 Waverly Street | |
| 49 Woodmont Avenue & Metropolitan | |
| 57 Bethesda Avenue & Elm Street |
For more information, visit the Montgomery County Department of Transportation Division of Parking Management, or click here to see Downtown Bethesda's parking facilities on an interactive map.
Parking Rates
| On-Street Short-term Parking as of July 5, 2017 (<4 hrs) | $2.25 per hour |
| Parking Lots as of July 5, 2017 (Short and Long-Term) | $1.50 per hour |
| Garage (Except those noted below) Short and Long-term Parking as of August 19, 2019 (>4 hrs) | $1.00 per hour |
| Garage 40 (Cordell/St. Elmo), Garage 47 (Waverly), and Garage 57 (Elm St) Short and Long Term Parking as of August 19, 2019 |
$1.25 per hour |
Pay By Cell
Instructions on how to use the Pay-On-Foot System Instructions
Parking Permits
| Parking Convenience Sticker | $150.00 per month |
| Daily Parking Permit | $12.00 per day |
| "AM/PM" Parking Permit | $20.00 per month |
Carpool Parking Permits
| 2 Persons | $107.00 per month |
| 3 and 4 Persons | $58.00 per month |
| 5 or More Persons | $15.00 per month |
Click here for more information on carpool parking permits.
Hours Requiring Payment
Hours of payment may vary by facility or on-street location. Hours are posted on each meter. Please check the time of payment required on the meter.
On-street (metered spaces)
Paid operating hours 9:00 am until 10:00 pm, Monday through Saturday.
Free parking on Sundays and County Holidays
During rush hour, on-street parking is prohibited in parts of Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle.
Surface-lots (metered spaces)
Paid operating hours 7:00 am until 10:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Free parking on Saturdays, Sundays and County Holidays
Garages (metered spaces)
Paid operating hours 7:00 am until 10:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Free parking on Saturdays, Sundays and County Holidays
For more information, visit Montgomery County DOT at Parking Facility Information.
Handicapped Parking
Only vehicles displaying valid handicap tags or placards may park in a space reserved for handicap parking. Handicap parking spaces are located in all parking lots and garages within the parking districts. Vehicles displaying valid handicap tags or placards may also park at any metered space for double the time-limit of that meter (maximum 4 hours). Payment is not required for handicap vehicles parked at metered parking spaces. Contact the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration to obtain valid handicapped parking tags and special parking placards.
The Bethesda Circulator serves all the public county garages and is handicapped accessible.
