Drivers and shop owners in Northwest Portland say parking has turned into a guessing game. Along some of the neighborhood’s busiest commercial corridors, signs still warn that meters must be paid until 10 p.m., even though city leaders put the late-night expansion on hold months ago. The slapped-on labels do not match what the pay-by-phone apps or curbside pay stations show, and residents worry they will either overpay or come back to a ticket after a night out.
The mismatch is not just a one-off. According to KATU, most signs in Northwest still say drivers must pay until 10 p.m., and Todd Zarnitz, president of the Northwest District Association, told KATU the stickers make routine errands feel risky: "It's literally a sticker they put on the sign here."
PBOT says crews added stickers and will remove them over months
In a statement to KATU, the Portland Bureau of Transportation said crews added stickers to nearly 6,000 signs last summer to support extended meter hours approved in the 2025–26 budget, and that payment systems were updated so meters would not actually charge past the paused hour. PBOT told KATU it will now begin peeling off the extended-hour stickers and expects the work to take approximately four to six months, with completion by October 2026.
How the change landed on the signs
The late-night enforcement was part of a parking-fee package City Council approved in 2025 to shore up PBOT finances, Willamette Week reported. PBOT's Northwest Parking District page had listed Oct. 1, 2025, as the date for expanded hours, and residents' backlash prompted Mayor Keith Wilson to pause enforcement in October 2025, according to the NW Examiner.
Why businesses say mixed messages matter
Owners on NW 21st and NW 23rd avenues say the dueling messages are already changing how customers behave. The Pharmacy owner Brian Gardes told reporters he fields parking questions "all the time" from people trying to figure out how long they can stay, and some residents say they would skip dinner plans if they believed they had to keep paying into the late evening.
How to avoid a bad ticket
For now, drivers are being told to trust the pay station or mobile app over the stickers and to keep proof of payment when they can. PBOT says payment systems were adjusted so meters will not charge past the actual enforced hour, and the city’s parking guide explains how to dispute a citation and lists the PBOT Meter Help Line (503-278-5410) and [email protected] for validation and disputes; see Portland.gov for details.
What comes next
Because PBOT expects sticker removal to take months, incorrect signs are likely to linger through summer and into fall, and neighborhood groups say crews should focus first on the busiest commercial blocks. The Northwest Parking District Stakeholder Advisory Committee and local business associations plan to keep pressing the bureau for clearer signage and faster fixes as the city adjusts its parking enforcement and permit rules.
