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SITE NAVIGATION

Discounts & Parking Rates

Parking Meters

Parking Operating Hours

Discounts & Parking Rates

Parking Meters

Effective July 1, 2024: Meters and time limits will be enforced on Sundays. All free meter programs for the holidays will also be discontinued. Operational hours of enforcement will be the same as the other days of the week.

Parking meters on the street offer drivers multiple payment options. Meters and payment kiosks accept coins, mobile app payments, and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover).

Meter revenues contribute to the City General Fund and may only be used as prescribed by Sacramento City Code section 10.40.130

When is meter payment required?

The physical meter screen or mobile payment app will reflect if payment is required with the appearance of a fee structure. When no payment is required, then a message indicating so will appear.

Meter payments are required during parking operating hours. These hours vary by location.

Paying at the meter: Initial payment made at the meter by cash or card will require physically returning to the meter if any additional time to park is desired. Payment to extend time can only be accepted at the meter and not through the mobile app.

Paying with mobile app: Initial payment using the mobile app will not require returning to the meter, as time extensions may only be performed using the app. There is a $0.35 per transaction convenience fee charged by the mobile app provider. Any subsequent transactions to add time via the app may result in an additional $0.35 convenience fee. Time extensions may only be performed through the mobile app because the initial payment made through the app.

Image of woman using a parking meter on the street with a video play button overlay

How to use smart meter

Video instructions on how to pay at single-space smart meters

Infographic of all tiered meter rates by hour and zone

Tiered meter rate brochure

Printable version with payment and tiered rate information

Image depicting zones for parking operational hours

Parking operating hours

Hours when time zones and meters are enforced

Dowload ParkMobile app

Easy way to pay at meters and parking facilities across North America

Image of barricade along 10th Street for reserved parking

Meter & space reservations

For construction projects or special events with permits

Parking meter receipts

Receipts for single-space smart meter payments

Meter locations

Parking meters are only authorized to be in Parking Meter Zones in specific traffic districts, as defined by Sacramento City Code section 10.40.010:

Central Traffic District
Fort Sutter Traffic District

With over 25,000 parking spaces in the Central City, only less than 6,400 are actually metered parking spaces.

Metered parking spaces may have single-space smart meters; multi-space meters in the form of green kiosks; or just signage posted with the meter zone (location) number indicating the code to enter on the ParkMobile payment app.

To view all meter locations, view the parking map and filter the legend to, "Space by time limit," and choose the meter type or choose all meter types. The legend is the icon in the upper left side of the screen that appears as three stacked squares.

Tiered meter rates

Meter payments are accepted at the meter, using cash or card (credit or debit), or via mobile app.

Smart meters in downtown and midtown operate on a tiered rate system:

There are no time limits at these meters.
Tiered rates allow drivers to stay longer at meters by paying into a dynamic rate structure rates based on the length of stay.
For long-term parking, it is recommended that drivers use off-street parking garages or lots, as those rates may be less expensive than paying the on-street meter rate.
Parking on the street is better suited for short-term parking to promote turnover, which supports residents, visitors, and businesses.

Rates are reflected on each meter screen.

Some spaces may be enforced by multi-space meters (green kiosks). These are spaces that do not have meters at each parking space, but payment is still required at kiosks located nearby on that side of the block.

At parking spaces without physical meters, also look for any posted ParkMobile signage on that side of the block to view the location number if mobile payment is preferred. Mobile payments are enforced by license plate readers.

The signs with a digit in a circle followed by the "+" sign reflects how many hours a vehicle may park at the base meter rate (Tier 1 rate) before the next tiered rate is required to continue parking at that space. When a vehicle leaves a space, the meter will reset to allow the next driver to park at the Tier 1 rate.

Image of a 2+ meter sign for tiered-rate parking

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Example of meter sign indicating first two hours is charged at Tier 1 rate.

Meter pricing

Tier 1: $2.00 each hour

Tier 2: $3.50 for one hour after Tier 1 ends

Tier 3: $4.50 each additional hour beyond Tier 2

Image of infographic showing tiered meter rate pricing

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Example of pricing at 1+ and 2+ meter zones

Image of a meter screen displaying tiered rates

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Check meter screen for rates and important messages

Always check the meter screen to view meter rates and to make sure the meter actually requires payment.

If paying by mobile app, ensure the correct zone (location) number is entered for the parking space.

When paying a meter, ensure that payment is applied to the correct meter for that parking space or the correct license plate number is entered when using a Pay-By-Plate kiosk.

If the parking session will include a combination of paid time and free time, the physical meter or the mobile payment app will only reflect charges for the hours that require payment.

There are no time limits at meters as long as the meter is paid. During "free" hours, there are no time limits until operating hours go into effect again the next day and meter payment requirement resumes.

Long-term meters

The majority of meters are considered "short-term" meters because they accomodate parking for only a few hours. These meters have tiered meter rates that charge an hourly rate.

To support employees who must rely on street parking to attend to their jobs, the City of Sacramento offers "long-term" metered parking at a discount over the short-term meter rate. These special meters only charge a max flat rate of $7 for any parking session beyond 3 hours. The parking session will then expire when operating hours end at that metered location.

Drivers may park for less than 3 hours at a long-term meter. However, if the planned parking session will be 3 hours or less, please utilize a short-term meter to allow those who need long-term parking a space on the street.

How long-term meters work

Long-term meters charge the base rate of $2.00 per hour, then will "jump" to a flat rate of $7 when more than 3 hours of parking is selected on the screen. This $7 flat rate will allow continuous parking at that space until meter operating hours end.

To park for more than 3 hours, press the MAX button when prompted. The $7 rate will appear on the screen to show the amount owed. Follow the screen prompts to complete the payment and print a receipt. For safety reasons, please do not display the receipt on the vehicle dashboard. Please keep the receipt with you in the event it is needed for business purposes or to contest a citation issued for non-payment.

Meter operating end times vary by location. End times are typically 6 p.m., 8 p.m., or 10 p.m., depending on location.

Please check the meter screen or kiosk signage to know when the meter operating end time is. The long-term parking rate will cover parking up through that time. Parking is then free after the meter operating end time.

Example: Meter operating hours of 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. requires payment during those hours. From 10:01 p.m. that evening through 7:59 a.m. the next day, the metered space is free.

To view all long-term meter locations, view the parking map and filter the legend to, "Space by time limit" and choose "10 Hour" for long-term meters. The legend is the icon in the upper left side of the screen that appears as three stacked squares. All the spaces on the map reflected by an orange circle with the number 10 in the middle are the long-term meter locations.

Special Event Meter Rates

When an event at Golden 1 Center expects to exceed 15,000 attendees, then SacPark Meters will activate a special event meter flat rate within a three-block radius of Golden 1 Center. Meters will be activated with this rate two hours prior to the event start time.

Activation of special event rates in garages or lots (off-street) are independent of special event rates at street meters (on-street). Off-street parking rates and on-street parking rates operate independent of each other, including when special event rates at either are activated.

How special event meter rates work

Special event meter mode still allows short-term parking at the Tier 1 base meter rate. This accommodates those who need short-term parking.

Payment of the Special Event Rate will be required for any time parked beyond Tier 1. There is an exception for meters posted with 1+ signage. At those meters, the Tier 2 rate will still be in effect and Tier 3 will be the Special Event Rate.

Once a parking session reaches the tier that triggers the Special Event Meter Rate, then the meter will require payment equal to the difference between $20.00 and what was already paid to meter.
Payment of this difference will allow continued parking at the meter and no other charges will be required to remain parked for the rest of the day or evening (depending on the event time).
If the vehicle stays in the same parking space, then meter will require payment again at the start of the next day's parking operating hours.

Motorists who made their initial meter payments by ParkMobile will receive a reminder text that their time is expiring and an option to extend time from the app will be offered.

If initial payment was made at the meter, then extensions of time must also be paid at the physical meter.

Image of infographic showing tiered special event meter rate pricing

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After Tier 2, meters will charge a flat rate for a total of $20

Parking Operating Hours

ON THIS PAGE

Parking Meters

When is meter payment required?

Meter locations

Tiered meter rates

Meter pricing

Long-term meters

How long-term meters work

Special Event Meter Rates

How special event meter rates work

More