What you will accomplish

You will use a zone on the Parking Spots map to see how many cars are inside a flexible area, add a vehicle to that area, or move a car out—without picking an exact numbered spot like A1 or B4.

When you finish, your team can answer questions like “Is there still room in the outdoor lot?” and “Which cars are in overflow right now?” without walking the building first.

When to use a zone (and when to use a numbered spot)

• Use a numbered spot when staff need an exact location for retrieval, customer updates, or billing tied to a specific space.
• Use a zone when cars can park anywhere inside a larger area and an exact box number is not required.
• Use both on the same map — numbered spots inside a zone show exact spaces; the colored zone background shows the flexible overflow area around them.

Before you start

• Your facility map should already include at least one zone. If not, an admin can add zones in Set up parking spots and zones.
• The car should exist in Cars before you add it to a zone.
• Know whether the car needs an exact spot or only a general area.
• If clicking a zone shows an error about the floor plan, ask an admin to open Settings > Floor Plan and click Save Floor Plan once.

How zones look on the map

On Parking Spots in Map view:

• Colored background areas (for example a green Outdoor Lot or blue Indoor Bay) are zones.
• Labeled boxes on top (for example A1, B3, Lift 1) are numbered spots or lifts.
• Click the open colored area between or around spots to open the zone—not a numbered box.

Open a zone from the map

1. Open Parking Spots

   Go to Parking Spots from the left sidebar.

   Expected result: You see the facility map in Map view. Colored background areas are zones. Labeled boxes on top are numbered spots and lifts.

2. Click the colored zone area

   Click inside a colored zone (for example the green Outdoor Lot area). Do not click a numbered spot box unless you want that exact space.

   Why this matters: Clicking C1 opens the spot dialog for C1 only. Clicking the green area around those spots opens the whole Outdoor Lot zone.

   Expected result: A window opens with the zone name at the top (for example Outdoor Lot).

3. Read the capacity summary

   Near the top of the window, look for how many cars are in the zone and how many spaces remain (for example 1/4).

   Why this matters: Before you promise overflow parking, you can see whether the zone still has room.

Add a car to a zone

Use this when a vehicle is physically in the zone but does not need a numbered spot.

1. Open the zone window

   Click the zone on the Parking Spots map as described above.

   Expected result: The zone window shows the zone name and capacity at the top.

2. Search for the car

   Use the car search field in the zone window. Type the customer name, license plate, VIN, make, or model.

   Expected result: Matching vehicles appear in the list below the search box.

3. Select the correct vehicle

   If the customer owns more than one car, read the year, make, model, and plate carefully before you continue.

   Why this matters: Picking the wrong vehicle is one of the most common parking mistakes—and it is hard to fix during a busy drop-off.

4. Save the assignment

   Click the button to add the car to the zone (the label may say Add to zone or Move Car Here).

   Expected result: The car appears in the zone’s car list. The map shows the car inside the colored zone area.

5. Confirm on the car record

   Open the vehicle in Cars. Near the top, the parking button should show Zone: and the zone name (for example Zone: Outdoor Lot).

   Why this matters: Staff who start on the car page—not the map—still see the correct location.

Move a car into a zone from a numbered spot

Many teams park cars in A1 first, then move them to overflow when the indoor row fills up. You can move a car to a zone without opening the zone window first.

1. Click the spot where the car is now

   On the map, click the numbered spot that currently holds the vehicle (for example A1).

   Expected result: A spot dialog opens showing the car that is Present there.

2. Start Move Vehicle

   Click Move Vehicle or use the Select spot, zone, or vendor… field.

   Expected result: A search box appears where you can pick a new destination.

3. Search for the zone

   Type part of the zone name (for example Out for Outdoor Lot). Under Zones, pick the zone and read the capacity numbers (for example Outdoor Lot 1/4).

   Why this matters: The fraction tells you how full the zone is before you save the move.

4. Click Move and confirm

   Click Move (or Move Car). Read any message about capacity before you confirm.

   Expected result: The old spot looks OPEN. The car appears in the zone list and on the car record as Zone: Outdoor Lot.

Move or remove a car from a zone

1. Open the zone that holds the car

   Click the zone on the map, or search for the car on Parking Spots and follow the map to its zone.

2. Find the car in the zone list

   Scroll through the cars listed in the zone window. Each row shows the vehicle and owner.

3. Move the car to a numbered spot or another zone

   Use Move (or Move Vehicle) to send the car to a numbered spot or a different zone. Pick the destination from the search list.

   Why this matters: Moving the record when the physical car moves keeps the map trustworthy for the next teammate.

4. Remove the car if it left your facility

   If the vehicle is no longer on your property, remove it from the zone or update the car record so it no longer shows a parking location.

You can also start from the car record: open Cars, click the Zone: button, and pick a numbered spot or a different zone. See Assign a parking spot for the full car-record path.

Zone capacity in plain English

How zones look in Table view

Zones also appear on the Parking Spots table:

• The Location column may show a zone name for spots that sit inside a zone.
• Cars assigned only to a zone (no numbered spot) may not appear on a single spot row—they appear when you open the zone on the map or on the car record.

1. Switch to Table view

   Open Filters & Settings and click Table.

   Expected result: You see rows for each numbered spot with columns such as Name, Currently Parked, and Reserved Customer.

2. Search for a zone name

   Type Outdoor or your zone name in the Search box. Rows tied to that area may appear in the results.

   Why this matters: Table view is faster than the map when you need a sortable list during a busy afternoon.

3. Open the car record for zone-only assignments

   If a car has Zone: Outdoor Lot on its Cars record but no spot row, that is normal—the car is tracked at the zone level, not on C1 or C2.

For help reading Currently Parked vs Status in the table, see Find parking spots and available spaces.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not click a numbered spot when you mean to use the whole zone—the spot dialog is for exact spaces only.
• Do not assign a car to a zone when your process requires an exact spot number for retrieval.
• Do not forget to update the zone when the car physically moves to a numbered spot inside the same lot.
• Do not promise a customer a zone spot when capacity shows 0 available—check the real lot first.

Troubleshooting

What success looks like

• Staff can name which cars are in Outdoor Lot (or your zone) without walking the lot.
• Zone capacity numbers on the map match what managers expect before promising overflow space.
• Car records show Zone: for flexible parking and Spot: for exact spaces—never the wrong one.
• Moves between numbered spots and zones are saved when the physical car moves, not hours later.

What to do next

• Need an exact space? Use Assign a parking spot.
• Need to hold a spot before arrival? Use Reserve a parking spot.
• Setting up zones for the first time? See Set up parking spots and zones.
• Return to the Parking Spots overview.