On Sept. 18, the Boston City Council Committee on Planning, Development, and Transportation held a hearing on contractor parking rules, permitting and enforcement in Boston after residents from dense neighborhoods raised repeated complaints that contractors were occupying more curb space than authorized.

The hearing, convened by District 8 City Councilor Sharon Durkin, focused on how street-occupancy permits are issued and monitored, whether permit fees cover enforcement costs, and what additional steps the city can take to protect residents’ access to curb space.

"Our public streets are shared resources and residents, workers, and small businesses deserve a fair system that works for them," said Councilor Sharon Durkin, chair of the committee, opening the hearing. She described neighborhoods such as Back Bay and Beacon Hill as especially affected because of narrow streets and limited resident parking.

City staff described how the permits work and the limits of current enforcement. Nick Gove, deputy chief for transportation and serving as Boston Transportation Department commissioner, said Public Works issues the most common public-way permits — primarily street occupancy and excavation permits — under the Boston Municipal Code, chapter 11, section 6. He said contractors must post signs and distribute flyers in advance, and that the Transportation Department must review requests that change traffic or parking rules.

Gove provided annual and recent figures: in calendar year 2024 Public Works issued 25,894 occupancy permits (including moving permits) and 3,170 excavation permits; about 8% of occupancy permits were for utility-related work. He said roughly 70% of occupancy permits are for temporary moving trucks and about 30% are for construction work. For fiscal year 2024 Public Works recorded 23,340 occupancy permits and for fiscal year 2025, 23,533. Gove also said occupancy-permit revenue increased after a 2016 ordinance change: revenue was about $15.9 million in FY24 and about $19.8 million in FY25.

Inspectional Services Commissioner Tanya Del Rio and Kathy Garcia, public works community manager, outlined enforcement practice: inspectors perform daily construction-site checks; minor infractions are addressed verbally and in writing; repeated infractions can trigger a pause in work and, on a third documented infraction, permit revocation. Del Rio said unsafe worksites can be shut down immediately.

Beacon Hill residents and civic leaders described widespread local impacts. Ben Starr, chair of the Beacon Hill Civic Association Traffic and Parking Committee, told the committee his group documented heavy contractor presence and rule-bending: "If a contractor is given 20 feet, they put the sign on a tree 30 feet away. If they need a dumpster for one day, they'll get a two-week permit." Starr said there were mornings this summer when 37 of 40 spaces on a block were occupied by contractors.

Resident Marlene Reynolds described a public-safety concern in the Back Bay where a construction truck blocks an alley she uses multiple times daily. "Every day, I'm trying to edge out without getting hit by an oncoming car," Reynolds said. The committee asked staff to follow up on the specific location and to contact Reynolds directly.

Staff acknowledged some gaps in data and oversight the council asked to address. Gove and other staff said the city does not currently have a complete count of total residential parking spaces to calculate the share taken by permits, and they offered to provide geographic breakdowns of permits and additional historical data later. Beacon Hill-specific practice was described: short-term permits in Beacon Hill often start as 14 days and extensions beyond that typically require sign-off from the Beacon Hill Civic Association.

On tracking repeat violators, Inspectional Services staff said they log stop-work orders but also noted a legal limit: permits must be evaluated on their merits when an applicant meets requirements, even if that applicant has prior stop-work orders. Staff described state avenues for contractor discipline — for licensed trades through the state licensing division and for general home-improvement contractors through the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.

Durkin said the committee will keep the docket open for further work and requested a working session with colleagues to develop concrete proposals. She read several constituent examples into the record citing lengthy or repeatedly renewed permits in the Back Bay and Fenway, concerns about excessive blockages for weeks or months, and cases where contractors allegedly parked in handicap spaces or used cones to reserve more spots than allowed.

Staff and councilors identified possible areas for follow-up: a geographic report of permit concentration, consideration of updated fee levels to reflect current enforcement costs, better public tracking of repeat violators, and clearer city guidance on permit durations and extensions. No vote or formal policy change occurred at the hearing; the docket (0477) was adjourned for further committee work.

The committee requested that staff provide the requested datasets and follow up with residents who raised specific safety concerns. Durkin said she will schedule additional committee time to consider next steps.