Parking downtown, around campus, and in the neighborhoods that adjoin those areas is one of the frequent complaints people have about Ann Arbor. In general, though, parking can be found downtown and near campus at nearly any time of day or night - the parking structures cost a mere $0.80/hour, and only a few of them ever fill up completely. Free parking, like a free lunch, is harder to find, unsurprisingly.

The Downtown Development Authority maintains and administers the downtown parking system; find information on that system at their webpage: http://www.ci.ann-arbor.mi.us/DDA/parking.html

The University maintains a large quantity of permit parking and some hourly parking around campus: http://www.transportation.umich.edu/

In some of the near-downtown neighborhoods, a Residential Permit Parking program is in effect, with a 2 hour limit during the day on vehicles without a sticker. This program has bred some controversy, with some stating that on-street parking should be unregulated, others that it should be both reserved for residents and free, others saying it should be more expensive (the program costs the city money), and many interested just in tweaking the formula and process. The RPP has proved a source of much discussion on Ann Arbor is Overrated and ArborUpdate. The City's information on RPPs is at: http://www.ci.ann-arbor.mi.us/PublicServices/CustomerService/parking.html