Hourly Parking

Right in front of MSN’s Main Terminal doors

This is the Hourly Parking garage at Dane County Regional (MSN), directly next to the Main Terminal entrance. You pull in, park, and you’re at the check-in doors in about a minute. It’s the short-stay option on the terminal side of the roadway, marked clearly as “Hourly Parking” at the entrance plaza.

Rates top out at $20 per day, so this is not where you leave the car for a week-long trip. It’s built around quick visits: drop-offs, pickups, or a short meeting inside the terminal. If you’re walking an unaccompanied minor to the TSA checkpoint or helping someone with bags, the extra cost buys you zero shuttle time and almost no walking.

The garage sits immediately beside the Main Terminal curb, closer than the daily and economy options. You roll up to the terminal loop, follow signs for Hourly Parking, pull a ticket at the gate, and head up to park. Elevators bring you down to the ground-level walkway, and you’re at the ticket counters and baggage claim doors in a couple of minutes, even from upper levels.

This setup makes the most sense for visits under a few hours or a single day at most, given the $20 daily ceiling. Longer trips pencil out better in the other airport lots, but for a 30–90 minute pickup window, the math is simple: pay a bit more, skip the bus, stand inside watching the arrivals board instead of circling the loop.

Pro tip: If you’re meeting an arriving flight, park in Hourly, walk straight to baggage claim in the Main Terminal, and keep an eye on the carousel screens instead of waiting at the curb and guessing timing.