Importing monthly parkers by CSV

Before you start

Create your lots first. Every row names the lot the parker belongs to, and Lotably matches that name against your lots, ignoring capitalization.

You can upload a .csv or an Excel .xlsx file, up to 2,000 rows at a time. Only the first sheet of an Excel file is read.

The easiest way to start is the template: in the import window, click Download a template. It has every column already named.

Required columns

Name: the parker’s name, up to 100 characters. Lotably also accepts the headers Full Name, Customer Name and Parker Name.

License Plates: one to five plates. Separate them with semicolons, commas or spaces, so don’t put a space inside a plate (ABC 1234 would read as two plates). Plates are cleaned up automatically (capitals, no dashes or other symbols), so abc-1234 and ABC1234 count as the same plate. Also accepted: Plates, Plate, License Plate, Tag, Tags.

Lot: the name of one of your lots. Also accepted: Lot Name, Parking Lot, Location.

Header names aren’t case sensitive, so NAME, name and Name all work.

Optional columns

Email and Phone. Add an email if you want the parker to sign in to the parker portal: someone on a current individual permit can request a sign-in link with that address.

Active: yes or no (true/false, 1/0 and active/inactive also work). Blank means active.

Start Date and End Date: write dates like 2026-11-01 or 11/1/2026. A date on its own means that day in your time zone, and the end date covers the whole last day. A blank start date starts the permit right away; a blank end date means it doesn’t expire. Also accepted: Start or From, and End, To, Expires or Expiry.

Valid Days: leave it blank (or write All) for every day. You can also write Weekdays, Weekends, a range such as Mon-Fri, or a list such as Mon, Wed, Fri. Also accepted: Days, Days Valid, Valid On, Permit Days.

Permit Number: your decal or hang tag number. Each one must be unique. Also accepted: Permit #, Permit, Pass Number, Decal, Decal Number, Hang Tag.

Notes: anything your staff should see. Also accepted: Note, Comment, Comments.

Import the file

1. 1Open Admin → Monthly parkers.
2. 2Click Import spreadsheet.
3. 3Choose your .csv or .xlsx file. Lotably shows the first 10 rows as it read them.
4. 4Click Check the rows. You’ll see how many rows are ready to import and a list of any problems by row number.
5. 5Click Import to add the rows that are ready. The button shows how many parkers will be added.

Nothing is saved until the last step, and the import is all or nothing: if something fails partway through, no rows are saved and you can simply try again.

A sample file

Here is a header row and one parker. Plates are separated with a semicolon so the comma stays a column separator:

Name,Email,Phone,License Plates,Lot,Active,Start Date,End Date,Valid Days,Permit Number,Notes

Jane Doe,jane@example.com,513-555-0101,ABC1234; XYZ9876,Main Street Lot,yes,2026-11-01,2027-10-31,Mon-Fri,P-0042,Night shift

Fixing rows that don’t import

Row numbers count the header as row 1, so the first parker is row 2. The most common problems are a missing name, plate or lot name; a lot name that doesn’t match one of your lots (the message lists the lots Lotably knows); more than five plates; an email that isn’t valid; valid days Lotably can’t read; an end date it can’t read; and a permit number that’s already in use.

If a plate already belongs to an active monthly parker, Lotably skips that plate and tells you who has it. The rest of the row still imports. If every plate on a row is already taken, the row isn’t imported.

Fix the problem rows in your spreadsheet and upload them again. Rows that already imported don’t need to be in the second file.

The importer adds new parkers. To change someone already on your roster, edit them from the Monthly parkers list.

Common questions