San Diego Is Owed More Than $260 Million In Delinquent Parking Tickets

San Diego has raised meter rates and many parking fines significantly in 2025, and the city is also writing more tickets, so you are not imagining that things feel out of control.​

What changed in 2025

• The base rate at most city meters doubled from about $1.25$ to $2.50$ per hour, with added hours and the end of free Sunday parking in key mixed‑use areas like downtown, Uptown, Mid‑City, and Pacific Beach.​

• For special events downtown (Padres games, big concerts), the city now uses “dynamic pricing,” allowing meters in a special event zone to jump to $10$ per hour for several hours around the event.​

• The City Council also approved across‑the‑board increases on many parking fines, with some violations now costing roughly 20–60 dollars more than before and red‑zone violations reaching about $130$.​

Why the city is doing this

• San Diego is facing a large budget shortfall (around a quarter‑billion dollars), and the city’s independent budget analyst estimated the parking reforms would generate about $18.4$ million more from meters and roughly $11$ million more from new paid parking in places like Balboa Park.​

• Officials argue rates had not been updated in about 20 years and say prices are still lower than in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, though this does not make the sudden jump feel easier for residents.​

Options if you get a ticket

• You can look up, pay, or start an appeal for a city parking citation through the San Diego parking citations website. The formal appeal process has three steps: an initial administrative review, an administrative hearing, and then, if needed, an appeal to Superior Court.​

• Requests for the first review must usually be made within 21 days of the ticket or the city’s notice, and if you go to a hearing you generally must deposit the fine up front, which is refunded if you win.​

Help with paying tickets

• San Diego offers a low‑income payment plan for parking citations that can cap monthly payments at $25$ dollars for balances of $500$ dollars or less, with late fees and penalties waived when you enroll (a small per‑citation fee applies).​

• State law (California Vehicle Code 40220) limits plans to 24 months and generally requires you to apply within 120 days of the ticket or shortly after a hearing decision, so it helps to act quickly if you are struggling to pay.​