Changes began August 4. Applications must be made in person.
Aug 05, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by the Bar Harbor Music Festival.
BAR HARBOR—If you are a Bar Harbor resident, you can now apply for a residential parking coupon that will allow you to have two hours of free parking each week. Those hours do not accrue.
The town posted a news flash and press release at close to 8:30 p.m., August 4, to spread the news about the change.
Residents must go to the town’s finance office, which is inside the Bar Harbor Municipal Building at 93 Cottage Street in Bar Harbor to apply.
The proposal was introduced in the beginning of July and approved at the Town Council’s July 21 with one tweak and one expressed concern.
The parking revenue for the last fiscal year brought in $4.3 million net of fees for the town. This is more than double that of FY2022-2023.
The town is not sure exactly how much parking revenue would be taken away now that it gives residents those two hours of free in-town parking each week, but they’ve estimated it would be a maximum of $832,000 to cover the loss of revenue needed to create a residential parking program.
The new policy also dedicates “one dollar of each hourly premium paid parking fee collected” into the Parking Solutions Capital Improvement Program revenue account.
That money will be appropriated by the Town Council “for future public parking facilities, parking infrastructure, transportation improvements, and other parking-related capital projects” according to the council order.
To cover those costs so that the town budget isn’t increased, but also to try to encourage parking turnover in spots, the town raised some parking fees to premium paid parking spaces in town and incorporated a few other changes for the town of roughly 5,000 year-round residents that supports Acadia National Park and its 4 million annual visits.
Paid parking on multiple streets in town as well as town-owned lots would be $6 an hour rather than $4. Other kiosk areas would be $2 an hour. The change in premium parking rates began August 4, 2026.
OTHER PARKING INFORMATION
Paid parking at kiosks is required in most of the main streets of downtown Bar Harbor as well as in multiple parking lots.
Employee parking permits ($30) are available only to those working at downtown businesses.
Overnight parking in the ferry terminal site has increased from $12 a night to $20.
Paid parking will now begin earlier in the season—on May 1, rather than May 15.
“By reinvesting parking revenues into parking facilities, pedestrian infrastructure, bicycle accommodation, traffic management improvements, and other transportation initiatives, the town can ensure that future infrastructure decisions improve overall mobility while preserving or expanding public parking opportunities,” Town Manager James Smith wrote in a July 2 memo to the councilors.
HOW TO APPLY IF YOU ARE A BAR HARBOR RESIDENT
To apply, you must bring in the following:
- Proof of current Bar Harbor excise tax and vehicle registration; and
- Proof of residency in Bar Harbor such as tax bill or utility bill
- A valid and functional email address
According to the town press release, “Once the in-person application has been approved, a coupon code will be sent to the email that was provided to the finance staff. Please allow up to 24 hours for the coupon to be activated in the system.”
Once a code is active, it can be entered into Bar Harbor kiosks for up to two hours of parking.
“The coupon will reset each week to provide two hours of free parking every week until the end of the paid parking season,” the town explains.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Instructions on how to use the coupon codes at the kiosk are available in paper form at the Finance office or online here https://www.bhmdpoliceme.gov/bar-harbor-parking.html under the “Kiosk Guide” tab.
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