Parking for Visitors

• 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

• 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

• 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
• For more information on public parking lots, check out our Public Parking Lots page

• 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

• 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

A: The City has public EV chargers located in the parking lot at City Hall (420 Litho Street). Please refer to our EV charging page for more information.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations | City of Sausalito

• 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 Lotss 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