DES MOINES, Iowa – As the City of Des Moines upgrades its parking meter technology, SmartCards are going to be retired. If you are one of the many residents that have a SmartCard, don’t worry, you will still have time to use your available funds.
SmartCards will be phased out as parking meters are replaced with pay stations. The last meters are anticipated to be replaced in June or July of 2022. The City of Des Moines encourages residents to use any balance on their cards prior to April 1, 2022. To encourage individuals to keep a manageable balance on their cards and avoid a loss of any unused funds, The City will stop the sale of new SmartCards on August 16, 2021. Below is a list of important dates for the retirement of the SmartCard system:
- August 16, 2021 – Discontinue sales of new SmartCards
- September 3, 2021 – Amount added to SmartCards will be capped at $25.00
- December 3, 2021 – Replenishment of card balances will end
- April 1, 2022 – Individuals should have a $0 balance on their SmartCards
- July 2022 – All SmartCard use will end
The multi-space meter project will first replace meters with a rate of $1.25 per hour and select meters with a rate of $0.75 per hour. This project will start along 16th Street and progress east towards East 7th Street/Pennsylvania Avenue. Meters in the Historic East Village will be upgraded starting in January 2022. The rest of the parking meters will be upgraded starting in July 2022.
