Your Top 10 Questions Answered About Oceanfront Parking with the Resident Parking Voucher Plan

Residents can apply for $50 worth of free parking in the Resort Area.

As summer slowly approaches, more people are heading to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, resulting in fewer parking spaces available for residents who want to enjoy the beach. Many of the remaining spaces along the resort strip are pay-to-park, which can make quick trips or family visits to the beach feel less accessible for locals.

This year, the City introduced the Resident Parking Voucher Plan for the Resort Area to offset parking costs for Virginia Beach residents at participating locations.

To help clarify these changes, we’ve put together answers to some of the most common questions.

Question #1: What is the Resident Parking Voucher Plan?

Answer: The Resident Parking Voucher Plan offers residents a $50 annual parking voucher for free that can be used at select Oceanfront garages, surface lots and on-street metered spaces. Vouchers are processed by City staff and added to the HONK Mobile app.

Once the full $50 is used, residents may choose to purchase an additional $50 reload for $25 or wait until next year to renew the voucher.

Question #2: Who is eligible for the resident parking voucher?

Answer: Any verified resident currently living within the Virginia Beach city limits is eligible for the voucher. This includes homeowners, renters and military service members and their families stationed in the area.

Question #3: What locations are included in the parking plan?

Answer: Participating locations include select surface lots, garages and on-street metered spaces throughout the Resort Area. While not all sites are included, residents can use their voucher at the designated locations listed below.

Participating Surface Lots:

2nd Street Lot
4th Street Lot
21st Street Lot
Rudee Loop Lot

Participating Garages:

9th Street Garage
20th Street Garage
25th Street Garage
Baltic Avenue Garage

Participating On-street Metered Spaces:

Paid parking between Rudee Loop and 38th Street on Atlantic Avenue
Bordering side streets between Atlantic and Pacific avenues within the same boundary
Metered spaces around Atlantic Park

Question #4: Why was my application denied?

Answer: Applications are often denied when required documents are missing or don’t match the information provided. To apply, residents will need to provide a valid driver's license, their email and phone number, and a document that shows their name and current address.

Examples of acceptable documents:

Utility bill
Bank statement
Mortgage statement
Lease agreement

The applicant’s name, address and 2026 date must be clearly visible in each document before it is submitted.

Question #5: How is technology, including smartphones and apps, being incorporated?

Answer: Technology plays a major role in how the Resident Parking Voucher Plan works. Once a resident is approved, the $50 credit is added directly to their HONK Mobile account. Residents use the HONK app on their smartphones to apply the voucher when they park at participating garages, lots or metered spaces. The process is fully digital, which makes the program easy to use and keeps everything managed through the app. There are also text-to-pay options and a customer service number that can accept payments over the phone.

Question #6: Why is the City offering this voucher plan?

Answer: The City introduced this plan to explore ways to provide residents with more affordable and convenient parking options in the Resort Area while also ensuring the Oceanfront parking system remains financially sustainable. Parking revenue pays for operations, maintenance and improvements without support from real estate or personal property taxes.

Question #7: Does the $50 voucher give you unlimited parking for a year?

Answer: No. Each voucher provides $50 in parking credit, and residents may choose when to use it. Once the full $50 is used, residents must wait until next year to renew and receive another free voucher.

Question #8: How often does the voucher renew? Can I purchase more parking credit if I use the full $50?

Answer: The voucher renews once a year. After a resident uses the initial $50 credit, they can purchase an additional $50 reload for $25. Any reloads after that are available at the full $50 cost. This setup gives residents a clear annual allowance while still offering the option to add more credit if they need it throughout the year.

Question #9: How many applications, approvals and denials have been processed so far and how many are still pending?

Answer: As of May 18, City staff have received 11,961 applications for the program. Of those, 6,905 were approved, while 3,153 were denied because applicants did not provide adequate documentation. Another 1,903 applications remain under review as staff continue processing submissions.

Of the residents who have been reviewed, 4,080 have already claimed their credit, which is now available for use.

Question #10: What other changes have been made to parking at the Oceanfront this year?

Answer: In addition to the voucher program and other policy updates, several broader adjustments have been made to parking operations at the Oceanfront this year. These changes are intended to streamline parking management, encourage turnover and align rates with current demand.

Changes include:

Elimination of the three-hour time limit restriction for on-street parking.
Implementation of a progressive rate strategy. Shorter stays will be priced at lower rates and will increase for longer stays. This approach will encourage turnover for businesses and direct longer-term parkers to City garages.
Elimination of the Virginia Beach Resident Rate.
Increase in monthly garage parking rates to $100 per month for unreserved parking and $150 for reserved spaces.
Increase in the Seasonal Municipal Parking Lot permit fee to $100 for the season.

Residents who believe their application was denied in error or who need help understanding documentation requirements are encouraged to reach out to parkinghelp@vbgov.com. City staff can review materials, answer questions and walk applicants through what to submit next.