Somerville to Replace Parking Meters With Pay Stations

The borough will install 40 new credit card-enabled stations to replace most traditional street parking meters.

Updated on Oct. 22, 2026 in Electric Vehicles

Somerville to Replace Parking Meters With Pay Stations

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Somerville plans to remove most traditional parking meters throughout the borough in favor of a modern payment system. Drivers will transition to using 40 new credit card pay stations or the ParkMobile application.

Why it matters

The upgrade modernizes the borough's parking infrastructure, moving away from outdated coin-operated meters toward digital payment solutions. This shift aims to streamline parking management for residents and visitors alike.

The borough is spending over $390,000 to deploy 40 new pay stations. This follows a period from July 2025 to June 2026 when officials issued 9,503 parking tickets.

The players

ParkMobile

This digital platform provides mobile parking payment services and is contracted by municipalities to manage and process parking fee transactions.

Somerville

This borough serves as the local municipal authority overseeing public infrastructure, parking regulations, and the local court system.

The details

While most meters are slated for removal, the borough will retain some units on Division Street near the post office. Drivers will also have the option to use an automatic license plate reader technology to manage parking payments.

July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026: The borough issued 9,503 parking tickets.
2025: Municipal court fine revenue reached $292,152.
October 19, 2026: The Borough Administrator announced the meter replacement plans.

Roadmap

Somerville is aligning with the broader industry trend of replacing legacy coin-operated infrastructure with digital payment ecosystems. This transition reflects a nationwide move among municipal authorities to leverage mobile technology for efficient parking management.

Drivers will need to transition from using coins to relying on the ParkMobile app or the new credit card-enabled pay stations. The move away from traditional meters simplifies payment methods but requires residents to familiarize themselves with the new digital interface.

The takeaway

The move to digital pay stations signals the end of coin-based parking for most of the borough. Residents should prepare to download the required app or keep a credit card handy for street parking moving forward.