How Much Money Did Bar Harbor Make Off Paid Parking Last Year?

Since May of 2019, the popular tourist town of Bar Harbor has been charging for parking.

Even though it seems like it was just yesterday that the controversial program went into effect, it was five years ago.

According to town officials, making money was not the goal of the program. The goal was to create parking space turnover.

While Bar Harbor has been a popular tourist destination for over a century, it has gotten incredibly busy in recent years. If you visit on a summer weekend, you know exactly what we mean.

Between locals, visitors from cruise ships, and visitors who have driven to the area, the streets are a rolling parking lot, and the sidewalks are packed. A five-minute drive can easily become an hour-long trip.

The hope had been that charging for parking and limiting how long someone could park in a space, would encourage people to visit, spend their money, then move on to their next destination.

While this has worked, one of the pleasant side effects was the wheelbarrows of money that the parking meters brought in.

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How Much Money Does Bar Harbor Make From Paid Parking?

Over the last few years, Bar Habor has raked in millions of dollars from parking fees.

At the beginning of the town’s last fiscal year, they upped the fees. Because of this, it is not a surprise that the town brought in a massive amount of money during the last fiscal year.

According to an article on the WCSH 6 website, paid parking in the town brought in $3.85 million during the 2023/2024 fiscal year.

In comparison, fees from parking during the 2022/2023 fiscal year brought in just over $2 million.

The money raised from the parking fees goes toward improving the town’s streets and sidewalks.

Get more details about the parking rules from the Bar Harbor website.