Milwaukee's overnight parking rules are going back in place. What you need to know.

After a months-long reprieve, Milwaukee's Common Council has voted to reinstate overnight parking regulations effective Nov. 2. 

The rules had been suspended in March as the coronavirus pandemic put the city into lockdown. The debate over reinstating them centered on the financial effects on the city's low-income residents but also the expected $13 million budget gap that would have been created next year by not reinstating the rules and the challenges presented to leaf and snow removal without the parking regulations.

The overnight parking measure reinstates alternate-side parking, the requirement to have a city permit, restrictions on certain large vehicles and on the city's main thoroughfares.

Note, if there's a snow emergency, vehicles have to be parked in compliance with those regulations. 

Here are a few things to know: 

What is alternate-side parking? 

On odd-numbered calendar days (before midnight), vehicles must park on the side of the street with odd-numbered houses. On even-numbered days, vehicles must be parked on the side of the street with even-numbered houses.

The parking limits are enforced between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. except on Sunday mornings and the morning of holidays — New Year's Day, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day — and the morning after those holidays.

Streets with exceptions to the alternate-side rule can be found on the city's website at milwaukee.gov/parking.

It is enforced from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. during snow emergencies. 

What kind of permit do I need to have to park overnight?

From 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday, the city doesn't allow parking on city streets without either an overnight parking permit or temporary night parking permission. Temporary permission can only be granted up to three nights within a 30-day period.

Night permits can be purchased at milwaukee.gov/parking or at any police district station.

During snow emergencies, a permit is required from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

What are the restrictions on parking larger vehicles overnight?

Certain large vehicles, including commercial trucks, trailers, semitrailers, RVs and buses are prohibited from parking on the street between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., or during a snow emergency between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. 

What are the restrictions on designated 'through highways'?

From Dec. 1 to March 1, parking is not allowed on "through highways" — the city's main thoroughfares and bus routes — from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. or from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. during snow emergencies. 

A map of these streets is available at milwaukee.gov/parking.

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.