Somerville to Replace Most Parking Meters With Kiosks

Drivers in Somerville will soon use pay stations and a mobile app to handle parking fees instead of traditional meters.

Updated on Oct. 22, 2026 in Electric Vehicles

Isometric editorial illustration showing a monolithic parking kiosk and a single metal post on a concrete city curb. — Somerville will replace most traditional street parking meters with 40 new credit card pay stations and the ParkMobile application. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Is shifting to app-based and automated parking payments an improvement for your local downtown area?

The Somerville borough is set to remove most traditional parking meters in favor of 40 new credit card pay stations and the ParkMobile app. This transition aims to modernize parking payments across the municipality.

Why it matters

This shift changes how drivers pay for street parking and updates the local municipal parking infrastructure. The project represents a significant investment in automated technology over legacy meter systems.

Somerville is spending more than $390,000 to install 40 credit card pay stations, while maintaining a few penny and nickel meters near the post office on Division Street.

The players

ParkMobile

A digital parking payment provider facilitating app-based and kiosk transactions for municipalities.

Somerville Borough Administration

The local governing authority responsible for city infrastructure and parking enforcement policy.

The details

The new system allows motorists to pay for parking through the ParkMobile app or utilize license plate reader technology at the kiosks. By replacing individual meters with centralized pay stations, the borough transitions toward a digital management model for local parking spots. Legacy penny and nickel meters will remain temporarily in limited locations before their eventual potential removal and preservation.

July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026: 9,503 parking tickets were issued in the borough.
2025: $292,152 was collected in municipal court fines.
October 19, 2026: The Borough Administrator announced the meter replacement plans.

The Home Front

This transition aligns with the nationwide shift toward smart-city parking meter modernization to improve payment efficiency. The move moves the borough away from legacy mechanical collection methods toward data-driven enforcement models.

Drivers in the area should prepare for the new payment system by downloading the ParkMobile app before the transition takes effect. Keep an eye out for updated signage at your regular parking spots, as legacy meters will be decommissioned throughout the borough.

The takeaway

The move to centralized pay stations will fundamentally change how residents handle routine street parking. If you frequent the post office area, continue to carry coins for the legacy meters until the final replacement schedule is confirmed.