In all districts parking is free at meters on the following nine (9) holidays, as specified on each meter: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Electronic meters (SmartMeters) are programmed not to accept payment on holidays and will display a message on the screen letting you know that it's a holiday. While government offices observe holidays on the actual day of the holiday unless the holiday falls on a weekend, the City of Portland charges for parking on every day except the nine actual holidays, regardless of what day of the week they fall on, and parking enforcement officers work on every day except those nine actual holidays. This means that holidays falling on a Sunday no longer have free parking on Monday and holidays falling on a Saturday no longer have free parking on a Friday.

Portland has been charging for on-street parking on Sundays since summer 2009. Because downtown on-street parking was so difficult to find when parking was free on Sundays, the business community supported charging for parking 1-7 p.m. on Sundays to create more turnover and increase the availability of parking for their customers. Since summer 2009, parking has been free at meters only on the nine actual holidays listed on each meter.  

All metered parking in the City of Portland is free on the following 2013 holidays: