Simplified: The city next month will start enforcing some new parking rules, including requiring folks to pay for parking on downtown streets on Saturdays. These changes prompted Sioux Falls Simplified to take a look at how Sioux Falls' downtown parking rules compare to other mid-sized cities, and what we found was the new policies are very similar to the parking rules in other places.

Why it matters

  • Sioux Falls has either the same or fewer hours of metered parking enforcement than most similar-sized cities in the region, even after adding the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday enforcement.
    • It's probably also worth noting that each of these other cities has a way to pay for parking digitally – mostly through an app.
  • The most similar community is Fargo, North Dakota, which enforces parking meters 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. One key difference, though, is Fargo's restrictions on overnight on-street parking – something that's still going to be allowed in Sioux Falls. (For what it's worth, Fargo also does have free overnight parking in ramps.)
  • The parking changes are largely supported by downtown businesses and DTSF, Inc. CEO Brandon Hanson said each parking spot has potential to generate up to $20,000 per year in revenue for small businesses if it's turned over five or more times per day. The extended enforcement hours aim to keep those spaces turning over to let more cars park throughout the day.
"The idea of getting more (parking) turnover is going to be better for retailers," said Greg Koch, owner of 605 Running Co. "When our foot traffic is next to nothing, it's hard to stay open."

Real quick, what are all of the parking changes coming to Sioux Falls?

The city this week announced that starting in May, they'll start requiring folks to pay to park downtown on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Additionally, the city's new ordinance banning oversized vehicles from parking in angled spots on a few blocks of Phillips Avenue takes affect May 1.

  • There will be white lines painted along the back of the parking spots, and if your big ol' truck (or whatever car you're driving) extends past the white line and into the driving lane on Phillips Avenue, you could be facing a $15 parking citation.

The city is also rolling out new text-to-park options, which Parking Manger Matt Nelson said will eventually replace the Park Smarter app as a way to pay on your phone.

“The capability to pay for parking from your phone is a simple, convenient option that users have been inquiring about for years,” Nelson said in a statement. “As downtown continues to evolve, it’s important our public parking system grows with it.” 

Tell me more about how other cities manage downtown parking

Sioux Falls Simplified looked at six other Midwest-ish cities with populations around 200,000 including: Des Moines, Iowa; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Akron, Ohio; Madison, Wisconsin; Rochester, Minnesota and Fargo, North Dakota. Here's a look at how each of them handle on-street parking downtown:

Fargo, North Dakota

  • Metered parking is enforced from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
  • There are 15-minute parking zones, similar to Sioux Falls.
  • Free overnight parking in surface lots, restricted overnight parking in on-street spots.

Rochester, Minnesota

  • Metered parking is enforced from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
  • On-street parking is prohibited overnight.
  • Free parking in city ramps on weekdays from 5 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. and on weekends.

Grand Rapids, Michigan

  • Metered parking is enforced 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
  • You have to pay to use the ramps, and from their website it's a little unclear what the overnight parking rules are.

Des Moines, Iowa

  • Metered parking is enforced from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
  • Ramps have a 12-hour parking option.
  • Des Moines also has certain blocks with "peak pricing," which means that during certain hours, drivers pay a premium to park in those spots. It's about 50 cents more per hour than other metered spots downtown.

Akron, Ohio

  • Metered parking enforced 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
  • Free parking on evenings and weekends. Unclear on overnight parking rules.

Madison, Wisconsin

  • Metered parking enforced 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
  • Paid ramps – unclear if there's free overnight parking.
  • Madison also in recent years has experimented with closing off one of its main streets, State Street, to make it a pedestrian-only walkway for certain hours of the day.

What happens next?

The new downtown parking rules and extended meter enforcement hours will take effect May 1.

The city will also be gradually phasing out usage of the Park Smarter app in favor of the new text-to-park system.