Home » City Guide »

No More Parking Tickets in SF (Except Meters + If You’re an A**hole)

Residential permits, street sweeping and time limitstickets all banned until April
By - posted 3/19/2020 No Comment

Through the end of March, the SFMTA will not ticket for mechanical street cleaning. Street cleaning tickets issued on March 17 will be waived. However, it is crucial that we still clean our streets to prevent trash buildup and local flooding. Please still move your car for street cleaning if you can.

Update – As of May 4, the city is considering resuming tickets for street cleaning violations

Please note things can change quickly – Updated 3/19/20 at 3:15pm

No Tickets

Enforcement will also be temporarily suspended for the following:

  • 72-hour parking limit and towing
  • All time limit parking (e.g., 1-hour, 2-hour, etc.)
  • Residential Permit Parking (RPP) permits
  • Commuter shuttles
  • Peak-hour towaway zones
  • Street cleaning – still try to move your car so the streets don’t get too dirty

Yes, Still Tickets if you’re an asshole

The SFMTA will continue enforcing parking rules that impact health and safety:

  • Fire hydrant zones – Still illegal
  • Red and yellow zones; and “No Stopping” or “No Parking” zones – Still illegal
  • Blocked driveways and double parking – Still illegal
  • Parking in bike or transit lanes – Still illegal
  • Parking meters (see below) – Still illegal
  • Handicapped Blue Zones? – There is no guidance from SFMTA on this yet, but we hope it’s still a ticket if you illegally park in a blue zone or handicapped zone without a valid placard.

Parking Meters: Given the significant shifts in parking demand, the city is implementing a temporary rate change for all parking meters citywide beginning on March 18 through the period of the Public Health Order. However, due to different meter types and payment options, the rate change may take up to five business days to be reflected in some meters. Please continue to check the meter rates until full implementation on March 24.

By 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, all meters will be reduced to their base rates through April 7:

  • $0.50/hour for vehicle parking
  • $0.10/hour for motorcycle parking

We are maintaining a minimal fee to ensure there continues to be turnover around essential services, such as grocery stores, medical facilities and banks.

Parking Garages

To minimize risk to the public and our garage staff, the SFMTA has closed some city-owned parking garages and limited others to monthly pass-holders only. We are prioritizing maintaining access to garages that are near essential services like medical facilities or markets.

The following garages will be closed to the public until further notice:

  • Golden Gateway Garage
  • 7th Street & Harrison Lot
  • Ellis-O’Farrell Garage
  • Moscone Center Garage

These garages will be open only to monthly pass holders:

  • Japan Center Annex Garage
  • Performing Arts Garage
  • St. Mary’s Square Garage
  • Kezar Lot
  • 16th and Hoff Garage
  • Lombard Garage
  • Mission-Bartlett and Polk-Bush garages are only open to monthy pass holders with 24/7 access.

The following garages are currently open to the public:

  • Zuckerberg General Hospital Garage
  • 5th and Mission Garage
  • Sutter and Stockton Garage
  • Union Square Garage
  • Civic Center Garage
  • North Beach Garage
  • Vallejo Street Garage
  • Pierce Garage
  • Portsmouth Square Garage

Fines and Fees

Until further notice the SFMTA will take the following the actions:

  • Suspend new late penalties on citations
  • Extend deadlines for submitting citation protests, payment and community service plans
  • Extend citation/boot/tow hearings deadlines – you may request 48-hour tow hearing at hearingsgeneral@sfmta.com or call 415.503.8453
  • No longer forward additional delinquent citations to the Department of Motor Vehicles or Special Collections