San Jose offers travelers and residents alike a wide variety of activities to explore within its city limits, but the local government makes parking tricky. When you’re looking for parking, expect to compete with a high volume of people who are also looking for the most popular spots.
Understanding San Jose street parking rules:
Keep reading to find out about San Jose parking rules and discover tips and tricks to avoid surprise regulations and find the best parking spots near your destination.
Tips to avoid a parking ticket
- Never park further than 18 inches from the curb.
- If you need to park overnight, be sure you have a valid permit.
- Never park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
- Certain streets have permanent or temporary signs posted for street cleaning or construction projects. Pay attention to nearby signs!
- Vehicles may not be parked on the street for more than 72 hours at a time.
- Don’t sleep in parked a vehicle parked on a public street. But if you need a place to crash in a pinch, you may sleep in your car in a church parking lot.
How does residential parking work?
Some neighborhoods are restricted for residential parking only. Signs indicate when and where a permit is required. To get a residential parking permit, you’ll have to go in person. Find out more on the official website.
What do the different curb colors mean?
- Red curbs mean no stopping, standing or parking at any time.
- Yellow curbs means no stopping, standing or parking at any time between 6 AM and 6 PM. Outside of that time, only loading and unloading is permitted.
- White curbs means no stopping, standing or parking for any reason, other than passenger loading or unloading. This applies every day between 6 AM and 6 PM except Sundays.
- Green curbs means no standing or parking for longer than 15 minutes at a time between 6 AM and 6 PM Monday – Saturday.
- Blue curbs means no stopping, standing or parking at any time unless you have a valid accessible parking permit.
What do street parking signs in San Jose mean?
Here’s how to read the parking signs you’ll see while parking in the city:
Restricted hour sign: This sign means you can only park here at certain times of day.
1 hour parking sign: This sign means you have to move your car within an hour of parking.
What are street parking rules for metered spaces?
San Jose does has plenty of street and metered parking that costs between $1.00 to $2.00 per hour. Be sure to check nearby signs to see how long your meter allows you to park there.
Which hours is metered parking in effect?
- Most metered parking is limited from 1 and 2 hours.
- Most of the meters operate 9 AM – 6 PM Monday-Saturday
- Little Italy meters operate 9 AM -10 PM every day
How to find the best cheap parking in San Jose?
- Free parking near Interstate 280
- Free parking at the City Hall Employee Garage
- Free parking for business owners
- Check out this free parking guide to San Jose to learn the details.
Where can I find parking garages near downtown?
The easiest way to find parking garages in San Jose is by heading to the parking map. There, you’ll find all of the information you need and you’ll be able to reserve a spot right then and there.
What’s the cost of a San Jose parking ticket?
| Parking Violation | Violation Cost |
| Expired Hourly Permit | $23 |
| Failure to Properly Display a Valid Permit | $23 |
| Parked Overnight without Resident or Overnight Permit | $23 |
| Parked in a Bus Loading Zone | $45 |
| Parked in 2 or More Spaces | $45 |
| Parked Blocking a Driveway | $53 |
| Parked in No Parking Zone | $53 |
| Altered Permit | $90 |
| Tampering or Theft of Immobilization Boot | $500 |
How do I pay a San Jose parking ticket?
Pay your ticket online using the city’s website.
Which days are San Jose parking holidays?
| Start Date | Parking Holiday | End Date |
| 2024-01-01 | New Year's Day | 2024-01-01 |
| 2024-01-15 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | 2024-01-15 |
| 2024-02-19 | Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day) | 2024-02-19 |
| 2024-05-27 | Memorial Day | 2024-05-27 |
| 2024-07-04 | Independence Day | 2024-07-04 |
| 2024-09-02 | Labor Day | 2024-09-02 |
| 2024-10-14 | Columbus Day | 2024-10-14 |
| 2024-11-11 | Veterans day | 2024-11-11 |
| 2024-11-28 | Thanksgiving Day | 2024-11-28 |
| 2024-11-29 | Day after Thanksgiving | 2024-11-29 |
| 2024-12-24 | Christmas Eve | 2024-12-24 |
| 2024-12-25 | Christmas Day | 2024-12-25 |