The City of Lawrence has launched a website to consolidate downtown parking payment methods, and a new text-to-pay option.
Parking meters and payment apps are hallmarks of the downtown Lawrence experience for drivers. Here are some FAQs about how to pay for parking, which apps to use, alternate ways to get downtown and more.
What are the options to pay for downtown parking, and why are there so many?
Throughout downtown, parking can be paid using two mobile apps, meters, kiosks and now pay-by-text, depending on the spot’s location.
Passport and ParkMobile are two apps that can both be used to pay downtown parking fees. Folks can also use pay-by-text anywhere in the area. These parking options are summarized on the new EZ Park and Pay website, which also has app download links.
Alternatively, people can use coin-operated meters at stalls along Massachusetts Street, the 100 blocks and side streets such as Vermont and New Hampshire. Garage parking can also be paid for at digital kiosks installed in the garages.
Passport was chosen as a vendor for customers because, according to Parking Manager Brad Harrell, it hosts the majority of the parking division’s operations, such as notices and parking citations. When the department introduced app payment in 2021, it also contracted with ParkMobile, which is the only service used on KU’s campus and the more predominant parking app in the nation. Harrell said they didn’t want to make KU students and visitors to the community download another app.
Pay-by-text is aimed at avoiding app fatigue altogether, Harrell said. This option, which does not require any downloads, is a service offered through ParkMobile. Customers can text “Park” to 77223 and will receive a link to pay in a web browser.
Long-term parking options, such as permits, are also available. And vehicles with an accessibility placard can park anywhere downtown at no charge, according to the city’s website.
Current downtown parking rates and enforcement hours can be found here. The city is currently considering proposals to increase parking rates, enforcement hours and more as part of the 2026 budget review process.
Why do the two parking apps charge different rates?
Passport costs users $0.35 per parking session; ParkMobile costs $0.45, per the city’s website.
The parking division negotiated with Passport for a lower fee, Harrell said. He added that these are exclusively the vendor’s processing fees, and that the city does not receive the extra money.
Harrell also said the city wants to have multiple parking apps to encourage open market competition and keep processing costs lower.
Why are parking time minimums higher on the apps than the meters?
Coin-operated meters downtown allow folks to park for a minimum of three minutes at 15-minute and two-hour meters, six minutes at 30-minute meters, and 15 minutes at 10-hour meters.
However, two-hour meters have a 75-minute minimum, and 10-hour meters have a five-hour minimum when using the apps.
Harrell said that the city absorbs the cost of credit card processing fees, which are around 18 cents per $1 transaction. Allowing people to pay for less than 30 minutes of parking through the app could lead to revenue loss.
As a result, app users may end up paying for more time than they actually park.
Why did out-of-state tags show up on Lawrence ParkMobile accounts?
A comment on the Facebook post announcing EZ Park alluded to multiple ParkMobile users seeing out-of-state license tags appear on their accounts. Harrell confirmed these reports.
ParkMobile informed the city that the app had a bug from July 3 to 12 that led to the odd occurrences. Harrell said no fraudulent charges were reported.
How can someone appeal a parking ticket?
Standard citations can be appealed through this online form, where a driver will be asked to provide documentation that the citation was faulty or otherwise undeserved.
Long-form violations over $55 must be appealed in person at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
Can people get tickets waived?
Harrell said his department has created a parking education program and encourages people to schedule 5- to 10-minute appointments with division employees who will provide information on parking options.
He added that the team is allowed to void two delinquent citations through this education process. Eligible citations include standard $10 parking violations or two $40 violations.
What are other ways to access downtown without a car?
In addition to walking and biking, downtown is accessible through free public transit. Multiple transit routes go through or near the downtown area, and a route change, effective this month, now directly connects the Haskell campus to downtown.
Travelers can use Lawrence Transit’s trip planning feature to map their trip, or reach out to the city for travel training assistance.
Lawrence Transit On Demand is a free ride-share service that operates outside of fixed-route hours and does curbside pickup. Rides can be scheduled here.
Upcoming construction work on Massachusetts Street will add separated bike lanes between 14th and 23rd streets, making that route to downtown more bike-friendly.
Post updated at 1:02 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.
Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.
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