The City is proposing changes to hours and rates for parking meters in the Downtown core. The goal is to make more parking available for customers, visitors, and businesses and make better use of nearby public parking garages. The changes will also generate additional revenue for the parking system and other essential City services.

As part of the City’s Fiscal Year 2026–2027 budget, the Department of Transportation recommended extending hours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at approximately 1,600 Downtown parking meters. Also, rates at approximately 900 meters would increase from $2 to $4 per hour. The rate increase would only apply to meters located within two blocks of public parking garages that offer 90 minutes of free parking.

The proposal concerned some Downtown business owners. We are actively working to explain details of the proposal while investigating alternative approaches in response to those concerns. We will continue incorporating feedback from the public to develop a final proposal that balances the objectives of all stakeholders as much as possible. The updated proposal is scheduled to return to City Council in September.

Map of Proposed Meter Rates and Times Updates

 Take a look at the parking meters times and rates map in a new window.

Why are meter hours and rates changing?

Low parking meter rates encourage some drivers to stay in the same space for longer than they are supposed to. Most Downtown meters have a two-hour parking limit. The time limit accommodates customers, visitors, and delivery drivers making shorter trips. When people park longer than the posted hours, fewer on-street parking spaces are available. Improving parking turnover helps keep those curbside spaces available, supporting the businesses that rely on convenient parking and reducing dangerous double parking.

These targeted changes would also help address the City's Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget challenges. Rather than raising all meter rates, the proposal focuses on the areas where it is expected to make the biggest improvements: within two blocks of thousands of affordable parking spaces in public garages.

Low- and no-cost alternatives

The City operates seven public garages that offer more than 6,000 parking spaces. Four Downtown garages, with 3,600 parking spaces, offer 90 minutes of free parking. Spots are $1 per 15 minutes after that. In most cases, the public garages are cheaper than current meter rates. In all cases, public garages are cheaper than the proposed rates, which only impact meters within two blocks of the public garages.

* Parking more than 2 hours at a Downtown meter is typically not allowed. Examples are for comparison only.

As part of the budget process, the City also extended the 90-minute free parking benefit to the Convention Center Garage on non-event days. This provides more low-cost, accessible covered parking for visitors to our downtown.

Are other ideas being considered?

Yes, we have and will continue to look at other ways to improve parking availability, support Downtown access, and address budget challenges. Some options include:

• Phasing in rate/hour increases over multiple years,
• Increasing parking rates throughout Downtown,
• Raising meter rates citywide,
• Introducing paid parking on Sundays,
• Reducing the free parking period in public garages from 90 minutes to 60 minutes, and
• Various combinations of these strategies.

We will continue to refine these alternatives and will share more findings with the City Council in September.

How are Downtown workers supposed to deal with increased parking rates?

Regardless of what updates are made to metered parking, people who work Downtown should consider a monthly garage parking permit. Monthly permits can be purchased for as low as $100 per month or $50 per month for low-wage earners.

These prices are significantly cheaper than paying meters. For example, paying a meter for eight hours a day would cost $16 currently and $32 at one of the impacted meters after the rate change. That’s $80 a week or about $320 a month at current rates and at least $640 per month at an updated meter. Using a monthly pass instead could save anywhere from $220 to $590 a month.

The Discounted Downtown Employee Parking Permit is available for $50 per month to employees working Downtown who earn less than 30% over the current minimum wage:

• Fast food workers: $26.00/hour (effective April 1, 2024) – Statewide minimum wage $20.00 x 30% ($6.00) above minimum = $26.00
• All others: $23.34/hour (effective January 1, 2026) – City of San José minimum wage $18.45 x 30% ($5.51) above minimum = $23.96

City staff are also exploring ways to expand access to these programs.

Safety escort program

Though San José is the safest big city in the nation, we understand that some people have concerns about their personal safety when walking to their car. Safety escorts are available in the Downtown district daily from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Call Groundwerx at 408-287-1520 to request a safety escort.

Typical response time is about five minutes. The Safety Ambassador can escort you to your car, building, hotel or workplace.

Learn more

DOT will be hosting a special Downtown Parking Board meeting on Wednesday, August 5. We are also coordinating with the San José Downtown Association (SJDA) to attend, present, and hear feedback on recommended changes at various upcoming downtown district meetings and the SJDA board meeting on August 13. We will explain the proposal, listen to concerns and suggested changes, and work to accommodate them when feasible.

Though we understand any increase in costs can be frustrating, this change is necessary as we try to keep street parking available for customers and address a difficult budget shortfall. This proposal is meant to keep up with rising costs and continue managing and maintaining critical parking services, while still providing low-cost parking options to those who need them most. Learn more about Downtown parking options, including the regular and discounted monthly permit programs, at parksj.org.