The City of Oxford enters a new era of downtown parking on Sept. 30 when they begin selling parking permits.

The City announced instructions for purchasing the four different monthly permits earlier this month. On Wednesday, they released a detailed map of where each permit will be valid, as well as more specific information regarding the permits.

For each parking permit, people may register up to two cars. Only one of the two registered vehicles can be parked in the downtown area using the permit at any given time. The other registered vehicle will need to pay at one of the metered spots if it is also in the downtown area at the same time.

If one of the registered vehicles is sold by its owner, the person can access their permit user account on the City’s online customer portal and update their account with their new vehicle’s information. The same procedure can be used if someone is driving a rental car and still wants to use their permit.

A spot is not guaranteed for someone just by purchasing a permit. If one lot is full, the driver is encouraged to check the other parking lots for which their permit is valid.

“These permits do not reserve you a space. People need to understand that,” said Matt Davis, the City of Oxford’s director of parking. “It gives you access to these lots and you don’t have to go pay the meter, as long as the permit is valid.”

There will be 30 premium and select weekday permits available next week when they go on sale, and 90 premium and select all-access permits. The City put a cap on the number of permits initially, due to wanting to start small and expand the system if successful. City officials and members of the Downtown Parking Commission have stated they intend to monitor the new revenue model, which takes effect on Oct. 7, closely during its first year of implementation to see what changes should be made.

Anyone who does not wish to purchase a permit through the website can go to City Hall and purchase one in person, once the desired permit has gone on sale.

Parking in the downtown area will remain free on Sundays and on holidays observed by the City of Oxford. The parking lot at the Oxford Park Commission office, located between South 14th Street and South 15th Street, will also remain free. The second through fourth floors of the parking garage will be free. All current handicap parking spaces in the downtown area will remain where they are located and continue to be free with the proper ADA hang tags.

The permits to park on the first floor of the parking garage will not be acknowledged on special event days such as Ole Miss home football games and the Double Decker Arts Festival. The Oxford Board of Aldermen approved special event parking rates for the remainder of Ole Miss’s home games this season. People can visit www.oxfordms.net for any other upcoming special event days.