Beach Guide

Santa Monica Parking

Lots, garages, rates & the closest spots to the sand

Arrive early
lots fill fast

Parking at Santa Monica starts free, with lots from $14/day. Compare 6 nearby lots and garages by price, walking distance and how full each one is right now, plus metered street parking. Lot locations, rates and hours are real and geocoded. Tap a pin for driving directions.

Cheapest: Beach Lot 1 North · $14/dayFree: Parking Structure 7

Watch the Lots Fill

tap a pin · slide the time

Pouring the water…

12 PM today
OpenFillingTight

6 lots · 2,832 spaces. Scrub the time slider for the crowd estimate.

All Parking

at 12 PM · nearest first

Santa Monica Pier Deck

~4 open

350 spaces · $16/day · City lot · 1 min

Beach Lot 9 North

~22 open

220 spaces · $15/day · Beach lot · 2 min

Civic Center Structure

~323 open

882 spaces · $1.50/hr · City lot · 6 min

Beach Lot 1 North

~78 open

300 spaces · $14/day · Beach lot · 8 min

Parking Structure 7

~282 open

900 spaces · First 90 min free · Garage · 9 min

Main Street Lots

~75 open

180 spaces · $1.25/hr · Garage · 15 min

On-street parking

1,200 metered spaces · $2.50/hr · Meters along Ocean Ave & Main St (pay by app). Pay by plate or ParkMobile.

Local moves

·

Street parking: $2.50/hr (Meters along Ocean Ave & Main St (pay by app)).

·

Lots nearest the sand fill first — the ones a block or two back usually have room.

·

Check each lot's hours below: some are open 24 hours, others close at night.

·

Arrive before 10 AM or after 4 PM for the easiest parking hunt.

City parking info (310) 458-8295

Parking Questions

How much is parking at Santa Monica?

Parking at Santa Monica starts free, with lots from $14/day. The cheapest paid lot is Beach Lot 1 North at $14/day.

Is there free parking at Santa Monica?

Yes. Santa Monica has free parking at Parking Structure 7. Free spaces are limited and fill first, so arrive early or have a paid backup in mind.

Where should I park for Santa Monica?

Santa Monica has 6 lots within walking distance; the largest is Parking Structure 7 (900 spaces). The lots nearest the sand fill first, so the ones a block or two back usually have room. Use the live map above to compare walking distance and how full each lot is right now.

What time does parking fill up at Santa Monica?

On warm, sunny weekend days the closest Santa Monica lots fill by mid-morning. Arrive before 10 AM or after 4 PM for the easiest parking, and scrub the time slider on the map above for the crowd estimate hour by hour.

Can you pay for parking at Santa Monica by app?

Yes. At least one Santa Monica lot or the metered street parking takes mobile payment (such as ParkMobile), so you can pay by phone instead of feeding a meter. Check the signs at your lot for the app name and zone number.

More Santa Monica

Beach guideConditionsSunsetWhere to eat

happy hunting

Lot locations, counts, rates and hours are real, geocoded from each address. No live space-count feed is published, so availability is estimated from typical beach crowds and today’s weather. Your location is used only in your browser to sort by distance.

Main parking at Santa Monica: Santa Monica Pier Deck ($16/day) and Beach Lot 9 North ($15/day), plus street parking at $2.50/hr. Check today’s water, surf and UV on the conditions page.