Cambridge Snow Emergency Parking

Featured image: Snow in Central Square, Cambridge, in February 2015. Photo: Peter Enyeart via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

A Cambridge snow emergency parking ban means cars must come off any street signed “No Parking during Snow Emergency,” or they will be ticketed and towed. Before winter 2026-27, Cambridge, Massachusetts residents should know where the five free garages are, how alerts arrive, and how fast sidewalks must be shoveled. This guide is based on the City of Cambridge Snow Center, checked on Oct. 22, 2026.

How a Cambridge snow emergency parking ban works

During substantial storms, the city may declare a Snow Emergency Parking Ban. It applies to streets signed “No Parking during Snow Emergency,” which appear on the city’s snow emergency map on the Snow Center. Residents are responsible for moving their cars off those streets. After a big storm, the city may also restrict parking on more streets so crews can remove snow and keep a path open for emergency vehicles. Those streets appear on a separate Snow Parking Restrictions map, which is updated before and after a ban is lifted.

Free snow emergency parking garages

During a declared ban, Cambridge residents with a Resident Parking Permit can park free at:

One Kendall Square Garage, 389 Binney St.
Green Street Garage, 260 Green St. (height clearance 6 feet 8 inches)
CambridgeSide, 100 CambridgeSide Place
52 Oxford Garage, 52 Oxford St.
First Street Garage, 51 First St. (height clearance 7 feet 3 inches)

If a ban starts between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., the garages are free starting at 6 p.m. Cars must leave within two hours after the ban is lifted. The Snow Center has an address lookup for the nearest garage. Only residents with a permit qualify, so see our guide to Cambridge resident parking permits for 2027.

How to get Cambridge snow emergency alerts

When a snow emergency is declared, the city posts it at 617-349-4700, on the city homepage and the Snow Center, and on 22-CityView. To get notices by email, text or phone call, sign up for Cambridge Emergency Alerts. The same system is used for evacuations, large water outages and other major disruptions.

Sidewalk shoveling rules and fines

Under city ordinance, property owners must:

Remove ice within 6 hours after it forms.
Remove snow within 12 hours after it stops falling during the day, or by 1 p.m. if it snowed overnight.
Clear sidewalks on all sides of the property to bare pavement, at least 3 feet wide.
Clear corner ramps and crosswalks in front of the property.
Not shovel or plow snow into the street or bike lanes.

The fine is $50 for each day the rules are not followed, and owners are responsible even when they are away. Saving a cleared parking space with an object is illegal, and crews may remove those objects.

Help for older adults and residents with disabilities

Low-income homeowners who are over 60 or have a disability may qualify for the Snow Exemption Program, under which city staff shovel their sidewalk after roads, schools and public buildings are cleared. The Council on Aging, 617-349-6220, also runs a Student Shoveler Program that connects teens with residents who need help. The city says rates average $25 to $40 a job.

More Cambridge guides

Cambridge street cleaning and leaf season guide
Kendall Square biotech layoffs and lab vacancy
Across the river: Boston snow emergency parking rules and heating rules for renters

Additional details

Public Works aims to treat all major roads within three hours after snow starts and to clear all streets once a storm ends. Crews clear more than 30 miles of sidewalk around schools, public buildings, parks and busy bus stops.
The city sprays brine on roads, some bike lanes and sidewalks before storms, using five brine trucks, a program that began as a 2018 pilot.
Residential snow blowers may run only from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. unless a snow emergency is declared.
Do not park within 10 feet of a hydrant. A fire engine needs nearly 10 feet of width to pass.
The Winter Warming Center for unsheltered adults, 437 Green St., is open 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. from Dec. 1 to April 30. FirstStep Street Outreach: 617-592-6895.
Clear snow away from trash and recycling carts so crews can reach them. Report downed wires to the police non-emergency line, 617-349-3300.

Sources

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Cambridge Snow Emergency Guide 2026-27: Parking Ban, Free Garages and Shoveling Rules