Balboa Park parking fees are almost here. How to avoid a ticket – and save a buck or two

Dante Ulanday - News Moderator Dante Ulanday - News Moderator
Jan 3, 2026 - 21:01
Balboa Park parking fees are almost here. How to avoid a ticket – and save a buck or two
A posted sign shows parking options for a venue, with a parking kiosk seen on a path lined by green grass and loomed over by large buildings across the street against the backdrop of a blue sky with scattered clouds.
A posted sign shows parking options for a venue, with a parking kiosk seen on a path lined by green grass and loomed over by large buildings across the street against the backdrop of a blue sky with scattered clouds.
A new parking sign off Balboa Drive at Quince Street in Balboa Park, with a kiosk seen in the background. (Photo by Times of San Diego staff)

It seemed a long way off last year, but it’s not anymore. Sunday is the final day of widespread free parking at Balboa Park.

That means a parking space will range from $2.50 to $16 as of Monday, depending on how close the space or lot is to the park’s top attractions, how long you plan to stay and if you are a resident of the city of San Diego. But one freebie will remain.

Which lots are charging and how much? Where can you get the resident’s discount? How do you keep all the new details straight? Let us help:

That freebie

The freebie, city officials offered as a reminder Friday, is the remote lot off Lower Inspiration Point, where all park-goers, residents and non-residents alike, will get three hours of free parking a day. But if you stay there longer, a paid pass will be required to avoid a ticket.

Signing up for the resident discount

Yes, they are available, but only through an online portal, which the city announced Friday is now open. The discount is NOT offered at the newly installed kiosks that have been visible throughout the park for weeks.

So plan ahead and direct your browser to the Permit Portal – but that too will cost you. It’s $5 to register for the service, which will verify residency, but it isn’t instant. It may take up to two days. Non-residents can use the portal too for convenience, but again, passes are not discounted for them.

Fees for San Diego residents

Once verified, residents can obtain discounted day, monthly, quarterly and annual passes for Balboa Park parking. 

For daily parking, the fee structure is based on the proximity of the lots to the park’s popular center. The closer they are, the more they cost (for a color-coded guide, see map below).

  • Level 1 lots – Space Theater, Casa de Balboa, Alcazar, Organ Pavilion, Bea Evenson, Palisades and South Carousel, cost $8 per day for residents and $5 for up to 4 hours.  
  • Level 2 lots – Pepper Grove, Federal, Upper Inspiration Point and Marston Point , cost $5 per day for residents.  
  • Level 3 lot – Lower Inspiration Point,  costs $5 per day for residents with the first 3 hours free.
  • Longer term passes for city residents will cost $30 for a month; $60 for a quarter and $150 for a year.

An extra perk for residents? The monthly, quarterly and annual passes can be used both in the parking lots and on roads within Balboa Park to bypass the new hourly meters (see more below).

A map of Balboa Park showing color-coded parking lots according to the city's new fee system.
The Balboa Park map with the new parking lot zones shown by color. (Courtesy of the city of San Diego)

Fees for non-residents

First of all, that means tourists or daytrippers from other San Diego County or Southern California cities and communities. The charges, also broken down by the lot system, are:

  • Level 1 lots – $16 per day for non-residents and $10 for up to 4 hours.        
  • Level 2 lots – $10 per day  for non-residents.
  •  Level 3 lot – $10 per day for non-residents, with the first 3 hours free.

Longer term passes for non-city residents are mostly double the resident rate – $40 for monthly passes, but $120 for a quarter and $300 for an annual pass.

Tags or paper slips for your dash?

Nope. The passes are virtual, according to the city. One pass is needed per vehicle and they will be verified with license plate information.  

Zoo parking

That’s separate. The San Diego Zoo will run its own parking program, with complimentary parking for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance members once the car is registered online.

The zoo too is using a resident/non-resident structure for those who aren’t alliance members. General parking for non-residents is a flat rate of $16 per vehicle, per day, or $44 for oversized vehicles.

But city of San Diego residents pay $8 per vehicle and $22 per oversized vehicle in the zoo’s lots. Payment is at kiosks or by phone by scanning the QR code on signs in the lots.

Street parking

Park-goers and nearby residents began to feel the pinch of the fees in November, when the city started enforcement at new meters installed along Park Boulevard and Sixth Avenue, on the east and west edges of the park.

New enforcement will begin Monday along streets inside the park, including Balboa Drive, El Prado, Juniper Road, Presidents Way, Quince Drive and Village Place. Those who park on these streets must fork over $2.50 an hour, up to a maximum of $10.

But good news. Those residential passes also cover free street parking inside the park. The key being inside – NOT on Park Boulevard or Sixth.

Other details

Hours of enforcement for all paid Balboa Park parking will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Beginning Monday, expanded free tram service in the park will run during those same hours. There also will be a a free on-call shuttle for park employees and volunteers before and after regular tram hours.

Parking will continue to be free at meters for those with a disability plates or placards. Free ADA parking will be available in park lots, in the standard blue parking spaces marked for disabled parking. 

Read More