City of Sausalito
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About Parking for Visitors
- A short list of general parking FAQs is provided below
- You may also be interested in descriptions of general parking regulations before you plan your visit to Sausalito
- In-depth parking questions may be directed to the Sausalito Parking Authority at (415) 289-4116 or parking@sausalito.gov
General Parking FAQ
Expand/Contract Questions and Answers
- No, overnight parking is not allowed at any of the City parks.
- Yes, you may pay to park for up to 72 consecutive hours in our parking lots
- Using the Parkmobile service, you may register your vehicle and pay for your parking with a credit card over the phone, over the internet, or by using a downloadable app
- For more information, check out the public parking lots page for detailed descriptions of rates, parkmobile zone numbers, and our parking lot locations
- As a general rule street parking is restricted to either 1-hour, 2-hour or 3-hour time limits in our downtown area
- Outside of the immediate downtown area, these restrictions are more relaxed; some areas adjacent to the downtown area have no daily time limits
- Like most cities in the State of California, Sausalito enforces a 72-hour parking time limit
- This restrictions applies to every vehicle, parked on any public street or in any public parking space or area, within Sausalito City Limits
- Unless otherwise indicated by nearby regulatory signage, all public spaces or areas within the City of Sausalito will require a vehicle to move at least every 72-hours
- Vehicles found in violation of this restriction may be cited and/or impounded
- This restriction does not apply to off-street garages, drive ways or private parking
- You are encouraged to park your bicycle at existing bicycle racks only
- In Summer, during peak bicycle tourist months, there are restrictions on where you may park your bicycle in the downtown Sausalito area
- During these months, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m, bicycle parking is limited to designated bicycle parking areas or existing fixed bike racks
- Bicycles found parked or locked/chained to objects outside of the designated parking areas and fixed bike racks may be subject to being impounded-in-place and will require a release fee payment
- For more information, please check out our page on bicycle parking in Sausalito.
- Certain areas of Sausalito prohibit boat/boat trailer parking at all times, all other areas are subject to City-wide regulations that restrict boat/boat trailer parking to certain hours of the day
- No boat/boat trailer parking is allowed in the public streets and lots directly adjacent to the Turney Street Boat Ramp and boat/boat trailer parking is prohibited at all times along Bridgeway, between Ensign and Napa Streets
- 1 hour boat/boat trailer parking is available outside of this area between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. every day
- Boat/boat trailer parking is prohibited on all City streets and lots between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. every day
- If you have a valid California DP placard, DP license plates, or DV license plates, you may:
- Park in any limited time parking area in excess of the posted time limit
- Park at any metered space at no charge, including off-street public parking lots
- Park in an area indicated as resident permit parking only
- Out-of-state and out-of-country placards and plates are also honored, so long as they are current
- DP/DV placards and plates do not exclude you from certain parking restrictions, including no parking zones and the 72-hour parking restriction
- Large vehicles may be accommodated in some off-street areas of Sausalito
- We encourage you to park your vehicle along Bridgeway, north of Napa Street, and stay clear of the downtown parking areas
- RV parking on streets within Sausalito City Limits is generally restricted to eight consecutive hours before they must be moved, per local SMC 12.12.030
- Smaller RVs may be parked up to 72 hours in the marked area of Public Parking Lot #3
- RVs parked in public parking areas may not be inhabited, per SMC 12.12.020
- Large vehicles may be accommodated in some off-street areas of Sausalito
- There are no public parking areas available to accommodate long-term vehicle parking; moreover, there is a 72-hour parking restriction within Sausalito City Limits:
- This restriction is enforced on public streets and public parking areas and requires vehicles to be moved every three days
- The restriction does not apply to private parking areas, including driveways or carports
- We encourage you to find other accommodations for your long-term parking needs, for example:
- Major airports have long-term parking lots with competitive parking rates
- The Marin Airporter provides overnight parking in a secure lot at their 1081 Andersen Drive location in San Rafael
- You may also have someone you trust move your vehicle while you are away, if you choose to leave it parked on the street
- There are no public parking areas available to accommodate long-term vehicle parking; moreover, there is a 72-hour parking restriction within Sausalito City Limits:
- Contact your hotel and ask about parking options
- Most hotels offer a valet service or a parking pass, good for the nearby public parking lots
- Sausalito has five public parking lots, four of which charge for parking during the day
- Public Parking Lots #1 - #4 are pre-paid parking lots, you must pre-pay for your parking session when you arrive
- Hourly rates for these lots vary between $1.00 to $4.00 per hour, depending on the lot and the time of year
- Daily rates also vary and can range between $25.00 and $40.00 per day, depending on the lot and the time of year
- Reduced cost parking is available, check out our Parking for Commuters page for more information
- Multiple days of parking may be purchased in advance in these lots using Parkmobile
- Parking is free after hours, check the posted hours of operation you enter the lot
- Public Parking Lot #5 allows three-free hours of parking during the day but restricts parking overnight
- Parking in this lot is restricted to Area “L” Permit-holders only during the hours of 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. every day
- Public Parking Lots #1 - #4 are pre-paid parking lots, you must pre-pay for your parking session when you arrive
- For more information on public parking lots, check out our Public Parking Lots page
- Sausalito has five public parking lots, four of which charge for parking during the day
- Free parking may be found on many streets in neighborhoods and commercial areas of Sausalito
- Always check for regulatory signs indicating any time restrictions or other conditions
- Metered parking areas have digital parking meters that are enforced from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day
- Parking is restricted at a 3-hour maximum for all metered parking spaces every day
- The current hourly parking rate is always displayed on the parking meter screen
- The base hourly rate is $1.50 per hour but this can increase depending on the time of the year
- During the summer months the hourly rate downtown is higher and may range between $2.50 and $3.00 per hour
- You may prepay for parking if you arrive before 9:00 a.m., just deposit coins or swipe your credit/debit card to begin
- The meter screen will display the amount of time you are purchasing (including the hours & minutes until 9:00 a.m.)
- Confirm that your expiration time is displayed correctly before walking away from the parking meter
- Some streets in Sausalito require the display of a Residential Parking Permit to park after hours or in excess of a 2-hour limit
- Residents living within Residential Parking Permit areas may purchase parking permits for their vehicles or for guest use
- Area Parking Permits typically cost $35.00 per year
- For more information on street parking, check out the Street Parking page
- Free parking may be found on many streets in neighborhoods and commercial areas of Sausalito
- Not necessarily
- If a meter is broken – which means it cannot accept any form of payment, or the screen is malfunctioning and cannot display a payment – then parking is free for up to the posted time limit
- For more information on street parking, check out the Street Parking page
- Downtown Sausalito hosts a number of public pre-pay parking lots that generally run until 10:00 p.m., as well as metered street parking that runs until 6:00 p.m.
- These areas tend to have good turnover throughout the day and you can generally find a parking spot well into the afternoon, unless it is a warm summer day or holiday weekend
- For more information on public pre-pay parking lots and street meters, check out our Public Parking Lots and Street Parking pages
- Free parking spaces can be found throughout Sausalito and in parts of its downtown before 11:00 a.m. every day; these spaces generally have short time limits (two hours or less)
- Finding free parking after 12:00 p.m. in the downtown or surrounding areas is difficult, especially on a warm summer day or holiday
- For more information on free parking in Sausalito, check out the Street Parking page
- We suggest you utilize the street parking or pre-pay parking lots to park overnight
- Alternatively, if you are visiting a Sausalito resident, you may be able to use their guest parking privileges to park in permit zones where necessary; for more information on guest parking permits, either contact the resident or check out our Resident Parking Areas pages
- You may park your car in any pre-pay parking lot or metered space after their posted hours with no charge
- Payment will be required once enforcement resumes the next morning
- Enforcement times are posted at the entrance to each lot and on each parking meter downtown
- More information on enforcement times can be found on our Public Parking Lots and Street Parking pages