Beginning Friday, July 1, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is reintroducing time-limited parking across San José, which will now be enforced by automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology. At the beginning of the pandemic, most parking compliance activities were deemed “non-essential” services and temporarily suspended. Since then, DOT has worked to reinstate and streamline several of our parking services. Please keep reading to learn more about the return of time-limited parking.

What is time-limited parking and why is DOT enforcing it?

Time-limited parking limits how long vehicles can be parked in one spot. These spaces are typically found in front of businesses, event venues, schools, or places that contain lots of traffic. Posted time restrictions are meant to encourage the turnover of parking spaces. Time limits range from 12 minutes to four hours.

Given that there are so many time-limited parking areas across San José, we do not plan to reinstate enforcement of all restrictions at once. Instead, we plan to gradually phase time-limited parking restrictions to ease vehicle owners back into enforcement. During this initial phase, we will only enforce spaces that have a limit of less than two hours. Later this summer, the second and final phase will include enforcement of parking spaces with a limit of two hours or more. There are approximately 684 time-limited parking areas citywide, 274 of which will be enforced again during the initial phase.

How does ALPR technology work?

ALPR is a system of cameras that automatically read vehicle license plates. Cameras are attached to Parking and Traffic Control Officers’ patrol cars. As the patrol cars drive through time-limited parking zones, the cameras scan parked vehicles. The automated system takes note of the vehicle’s license plate and location. This helps officers keep better track of posted time restrictions and ultimately increases their productivity. Once the posted time restrictions have expired, officers return to these zones and cite any vehicles that have exceeded the time limit. Vehicles parked in excess of posted time limits are eligible for a $40 citation.

While we realize that posted time limits and citations can sometimes be inconvenient, we want to ensure everyone has a place to park in busy areas. And if you are curious about the privacy behind ALPR technology, read more about how we keep your information secure. Please visit our Parking Compliance webpage for more information.