It will soon cost more to park on Sacramento streets. Here's how much and why.
SACRAMENTO — Sacramento parking meter rates will be on the rise again.
The city increased street parking fees last year and eliminated free parking on Sundays and holidays.
Now, another price hike has just been approved by the city.
How much more will it cost to park on Sacramento streets?
The price varies depending on where you park and for how long.
Currently, the base fee is $2 an hour and maxes out at $4 an hour. As of July 1, 2025, the base would be $3 and a maximum of $6 an hour, approved by the city council in a Tuesday vote.
Chris Sinclair is the owner of Good Bottle on J Street in midtown. He says the high price of parking drives away his customers.
"My clientele base is down because people just don't come downtown as much," he said.
Sinclair said it also impacts his employees.
"It makes it really hard for me to hire good people who don't already live downtown," he said.
The City of Sacramento also charges a special event price downtown on nights when there are Kings games and other high-attendance events.
That currently costs a maximum of $24 but will go up to $45 under the new rates -- an 87% increase.
"Come and have dinner or drinks somewhere, and that's a lot of money," said.
Why is the city increasing parking rates?
The city says the parking price hikes are needed to help solve its $62 million budget deficit.
Last year's increase generated an extra $2.5 million, with the extra cash going into the general fund.
Sinclair says the parking price hike is just another setback for stores and restaurants trying to boost business.
"This doesn't help," he said. "This isn't great."
In January, the City of Sacramento conducted a parking survey of 12 other cities and says these increases are similar to what's charged in places like Anaheim, Oakland and Seattle.
