Boston lifts snow emergency parking ban, triggering a scramble for street spaces and “space saver” claims

Parking ban ends as snowfall totals and cleanup pressures persist

Boston lifted its snow emergency and parking ban at 8 p.m. Monday, January 26, after a storm that brought 19 inches of snow in about 24 hours and left curbside parking scarce across many neighborhoods. City officials kept Boston Public Schools closed on Tuesday, January 27, citing the need for crews to clear sidewalks and widen streets so buses and students can travel safely. Municipal buildings were scheduled to reopen Tuesday.

The end of the ban set off an immediate rush among drivers returning from off-street options and searching for newly plowed curb spaces. In many areas, that search quickly intersected with a long-running Boston winter practice: “space savers,” the objects residents place in shoveled-out spots to reserve them.

How space savers are allowed—and where they are banned

Boston’s winter rules allow space savers only during an officially declared snow emergency and for a limited period after the emergency ends. City guidance gives residents 48 hours after the end of a snow emergency to keep a space saver in place. After that, the object must be removed from the street.

Two neighborhoods are exceptions: space savers are prohibited at all times in the South End and Bay Village, regardless of storm conditions. The restrictions are intended to limit conflicts and keep streets accessible for public safety operations and ongoing snow removal.

• Snow emergency and parking ban lifted: 8 p.m., Monday, January 26
• Space saver window: allowed up to 48 hours after the emergency ends
• Mandatory removal deadline set by the city: 8 p.m., Wednesday, January 28
• Permanent bans: South End and Bay Village

Enforcement and removal

City officials said Public Works will discard space savers left out past the 48-hour window, and that space savers placed in prohibited neighborhoods may also be collected. The city’s stated goal is to restore curb access for snow clearing, trash collection, and safe travel lanes—particularly as temperatures remain below freezing and snowbanks harden.

Space savers should be removed by 8 p.m. Wednesday, January 28, 48 hours after the end of the snow emergency.

What drivers with discounted garage parking needed to know

Boston also set deadlines for vehicles using discounted snow-emergency garage parking. Drivers parked in participating garages were instructed to move their cars by 10 p.m. Monday to avoid being charged regular rates.

With the ban lifted but cleanup continuing, the next two days were positioned as a test of how quickly streets could return to normal operations—and whether residents would follow the time limits that govern Boston’s contested space-saver tradition.