San Diego considers charging tourists for beach parking

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(The Center Square) – The San Diego City Council's Rules Committee has unanimously passed an ordinance to permanently keep parking free for city residents at local beaches and Mission Bay.

But out-of-town visitors would have to pay.

In passing the measure, committee members stripped out a proposed 10-year expiration clause to make the protections permanent - but only for residents.

“The next step in the process is for the ordinance to go before the full City Council for approval, which we anticipate to happen this fall,” said Courtney Zuñiga-Pittam, director of communications for San Diego District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo, in an email to The Center Square.

The city of San Diego does not charge money for city-owned beach and Mission Bay parking lots. The proposal is intended to ensure they remain free for San Diegans while adding a charge for out-of-town visitors. The city council has not determined what the fee would be.

The Center Square asked a lawyer if city's plan for charging visitors is legal.

Donna Matias, senior attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, said the city certainly has authority to regulate parking, but that authority is not unlimited.

“Parking fees generally need to bear a reasonable relationship to the cost of providing and administering the service, rather than simply becoming a way to raise general revenue, and if the city imposes penalties for parking violations, those fines can raise a separate constitutional question if they are grossly disproportionate to the underlying offense,” Matias told The Center Square in an email. “So, the issue isn’t simply whether San Diego can charge for beach parking — it’s how it structures those charges and penalties, how they were passed, and how the revenue will be used.”

The policy push comes after a controversial paid parking rollout in January for Balboa Park, where several museums are located. That initiative coincided with a one-third drop in museum attendance, prompting local leaders to phase out the fees by the end of 2026.

Mission Bay, where Sea World is located, has a city-estimated 15 million visitors per year. Citywide coastal beaches draw 20 million to 35 million visits annually.

San Diego Tourism Statistics provided by Road Genius say San Diego attracts 30 million to 32.5 million out-of-town visitors annually. Meanwhile, 85% of non-resident tourists cite visiting the beaches or water recreation as a primary activity during their trip.