Alexandria Says 8,700 Residential Parking Permits Are on the Way After Mailing Mix-Up

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Alexandria residents concerned that they would have to travel across the city to pick up their new residential parking permits can stand down: The permits are being mailed.

Mayor Alyia Gaskins addressed the confusion Tuesday in a video message, saying all 8,700 residential parking permits are expected to be placed in the mail by the end of the week, Sept. 4.

“Your permit is on the way,” Gaskins told residents.

The confusion began after the city mailed its 2026 personal property tax bills last week without the residential parking permit stickers that eligible residents may have expected to receive at about the same time.

Information accompanying the tax bills appeared to indicate that residents would have to visit the Redella S. “Del” Pepper Community Resource Center at Mark Center to obtain their permits in person.

“That is not the case,” Gaskins said.

Not every Alexandria vehicle receives a residential parking permit. The permits are issued to eligible residents living in the city’s designated residential permit parking districts.

Gaskins explained that the tax bills and parking permits have been sent in separate mailings since 2024 because of compatibility issues between the city’s systems and its vendor. Under the city’s usual process, the permit is mailed first, or the two mailings are timed to arrive at approximately the same time.

That did not happen this year.

“The vendor that we have been working with since 2024 unexpectedly went out of business,” Gaskins said. “That then meant that we needed to rush and find a new vendor.”

According to the mayor, the replacement vendor encountered production delays, causing tax bills to reach residents before the parking permits.

Because the city had not anticipated the delay, it did not change the information included with the bills. That language made it appear that an in-person trip to the Del Pepper Center was the only way to obtain a permit.

“We understand the mistake, we understand the confusion, and we’re taking action to fix it,” Gaskins said.

The mayor emphasized that residents are not in immediate danger of receiving tickets because their new stickers have not yet arrived. Existing residential parking permits remain valid through Nov. 15.

“There isn’t a rush or something where you’re automatically going to be in violation,” she said.

Gaskins thanked the residents who contacted the city and said Finance Department employees worked through the night to identify what had gone wrong and determine how to correct it.

“When you reach out to us, you should know that there are dedicated public servants who genuinely want to help,” she said.

The city also plans to issue a formal news release explaining the mailing delay and providing information for residents who have additional questions.

“We’ve learned an important lesson,” Gaskins said, “and we’re going to be looking at how we can improve our communications moving forward.”