Parking Permit for Nanny
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How to get a parking permit in Berkeley for nanny?
Jan 2006
Does anyone know whether or not there is a way to get permit parking in Berkeley without proof of registration? We recently moved to Elmwood, and we do not have off-street parking. We were able to get L parking stickers for our 2 cars as they are registered to our new Berkeley address. However, I am unable to get my nanny a parking permit because her car is not registered at my house. Is there any way around this??
We learned that the city of Berkeley allowed permits to be issued for caregivers upon receiving a Dr's note that in home care is required. When my children were infants, they were premature and did have health issues, and our Dr. was more than willing to sign a note saying we needed to have in-home assistance. We've not had a problem getting it renewed (for the same person who still helps to care for our children.) Also Parking Challenged
Parking permit in Rockridge for nanny?
May 2003
I am moving to Oakland (specifically Rockridge) and will be having a nanny working at my house 2 days a week. Our new neighborhood has 2 hour/residential permit parking, and we don't have a driveway. Can anyone give me advice on what to do about the nanny's car? Patty
I also had the same problem (and I live in Rockridge) and asked the permit parking people what they would suggest. Unfortunately, the best they could recommend was that I get either day or 2-week permit from them. The daily permits are $1 each, and the 2-week permit is $5, but the catch is that you have to know the 2-week period when you request it (but not the daily permit). There is no limit on the daily permits, and I don't think there's a limit on the 2-weekers either. Not a great solution, but the only one they provide. Good luck! Kelly
I live in Rockridge and we are allowed 3 permanent parking passes per address. I believe that is the case in the entire neighborhood. You are also able to purchase daily (and maybe weekly) guest passes. I was told when I bought some recently that I could buy as many as I wanted. If you need all 3 permanent passes for your own vehicles, you will have to purchase the daily passes, at $1.00 each. They used to sell 2 week passes for $5.00 but I haven't gotten those recently and am not sure if that is how it works anymore. In any case, you need to provide some basic proof of residency and vehicle ownership like a utility bill and registration. I don't have the tele# handy but call the City Manager's office and they can direct you. 238-3301 Nicole
In the last Advice Given, someone mentioned that in Rockridge you can get 3 parking permits per residence, and that you need to show proof of residence and/or registration of vehicle to that address. How do you get around the fact that the nanny does not live there? Do people lie about nanny's address, or get a bill of nanny's diverted to their address, or something more complex like register the nanny's car to their address? These options seem too risky. We were told by the city hall that we could not get a parking permit for a nanny (we also need one for 2 day a week). We have been trying to figure out what to do, as our nanny has already received a ticket which we have to pay for. If anyone can shed a little more light on this situation I would appreciate it greatly - and apparently I'm not the only one! S in Rockridge
Regarding the parking permit for nannies, I'm not sure if you're in Berkeley or Oakland, but I understand that Berkeley used to allow this and has recently changed the rule, claiming that allowing such permits for nannies was a violation of city law. Now, only caregivers for the elderly can get a permit. As we don't have a driveway (and the City has told us that it isn't likely we can get a permit to get a driveway), this means that our nanny has to park on a nearby busy street where there is permit-free parking, which makes it dangerous for her to load two kids into the car. I've brought this up with our city counsel rep, but haven't heard back and need to follow up. You may want to take the issue up with yours as well. Ellen
Don't have a driveway, where can babysitter park?
Oct 2002
I was recently informed that the city of Berkeley will no longer issue parking permits for babysitters. My baby sitter needs to park on my street from 8-3 one day a week, and I am using up the ten one-day permits allowed for a year quickly. I know there must be many other parents that have a problem with this. I am in a panic. I, like many other Berkeley parents, rent my home and do not have access to a driveway. I'm in a real panic about this. When I asked the manager of the parking service what she suggested I do, she just said that it is not in the ordinance to issue these permits and it was only done as a courtesy last year. That still doesn't answer my question. How are other parents with babysitters in their homes handling this? lr
Can your sitter come to your home on public transit? Or perhaps you can pick up and drop off him/her? jill
We had the same issue, so frustrating. In the end, we photoshopped our address onto her registration and submitted that to the permit office. Voila! Permit.
Your mileage may vary.
We've encountered this as well. You will not be able to get one for her unless she is living at your home and can provide a lease or rental agreement to the city along with bills showing that is where she is living. You already exhausted the guest permits. Your only option is Lyft or Uber.
Don't expect any compassion from the city when it comes to parking. There goal is to make parking in Berkeley as difficult as possible so you won't have a car. City or Berkeley will not issue parking permits to property owners who pay tens of thousands in property taxes and city license fees if the house is a rental.
We ran into this issue with our nanny. I'd be happy to share with you how we managed this. Please contact the moderator for my email.
How far is it to a place she can park all day? Can you or your share family pick her up there and drive her back at the end of the day? Or cover uber/lyft/gig car (if you're in the "home zone")? Of course that assumes you don't need her to drive the kids anywhere.
Some ideas:
You can try to post on nextdoor and see if a neighbor is willing to let you park on their driveway.
Check on Craigslist and see if anyone is renting out parking. I picked up a gated parking spot near downtown a few years back when an apartment had extra parking, and last year during the height of the pandemic I managed to get another covered and gated spot near campus for $100/mo in an apartment complex.
If you live near a Bart station, the nanny can park at Bart (assuming she can get a spot), go in and come out the same station, then she's paying the parking fee + excursion fee and walk to your place.
Park in a paid lot and then use a ford bike or scooter to get to your house.
While I can sympathize with your situation - we had a nanny and did the parking dance - but I also understand the city's position of not issuing it to non-residents, because everyone has a sob story of why they need one.
What about walking around the neighborhood and looking for potential parking rental? Maybe neighbors have a long or wide driveway, etc. Some people could really used some extra income right now...