In California, the public beaches are free. It's the parking spaces that will cost you.
The public lots at the beach charge either an hourly rate (in Orange County) or a flat fee for a block of time (in Los Angeles County). Then there are public and commercial lots and on-street parking farther from the waves, which, depending on how many wagon-loads of kids and gear you're schlepping, may not be a viable option.
While you may find plenty of ways to save money on parking, especially if you're willing to walk a bit, the fees charged at the public beach lots are used to support the communities that beachgoers visit.
In Los Angeles County, parking revenue helps to cover the cost of maintaining roughly 23 miles of the county coast, said Nicole Mooradian, spokesperson for the county's Department of Beaches and Harbors.
In Redondo Beach, meter revenue goes toward the city's general fund and supports operational expenses for parks, public works and public safety, including the local police and fire departments.
"There is a cost to every maintenance activity by the city, from street sweeping to picking up trash strewn on the street, or furniture put out on the curb," said Redondo Beach City Councilmember Zein Obagi.
To support the communities you frequent this summer while saving money and avoiding the hassle of feeding a meter (average cost: $1.50 an hour), there is the option of a parking pass.
Some cities and counties offer annual parking permits that allow you unlimited use of public parking facilities, including the metered spaces in their beach lots. Others offer passes with more limits, but still provide uninterrupted blocks of prepaid parking time.
The price tag can be high — as much as $200. Let the sticker shock subside, though, and consider that if you fed the typical meter $200, you would get about 133 hours of boogie boarding, laying on the sand and beach volleyball. That translates to 16 to 27 full days at the beach, depending on your level of endurance.
These are the beaches in Los Angeles and Orange County that sell parking permits that can be used at meters and, in some cases, parking lots.
Los Angeles County
The County's Department of Beaches and Harbors offers two types of parking permits: the annual senior parking pass and the annual beach parking pass.
The senior pass is $25 and available to California residents who are 62 and older. This pass allows parking at all county-run parking lots on nonholiday weekdays. On nonholiday weekends the pass allows for free parking from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Senior pass application can be downloaded online or applied for in person at the visitors center at 4701 Admiralty Way in Marina Del Rey. For more information, call 424-526-7777.
The annual beach parking pass costs $150 and is valid at two parking lots at Dockweiler State Beach: the Grand Avenue lot and the White Point/Royal Palms lot.
The pass is valid Monday through Friday year-round and on weekends during the off-season. On summer weekends it's valid after 4 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend to the last Sunday in September.
Annual pass applications can be mailed to 4519 Admiralty Way, Suite B in Marina del Rey. For more information, call 310-821-1081.
Redondo Beach offers an annual parking meter permit for $170. The city website says the price is $110, but the City Council decided to raise the fee during a June 23 meeting.
The parking permit is valid at any parking meter within city limits and works from the date of purchase until Oct. 31.
Permits can be purchased at Redondo Beach City Hall at 415 Diamond St. or through the online payment portal .
The city also offers $25 senior parking permits valid from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 at two parking lots, the one at 309 The Esplanade and Lot 4 (near Veteran's Park Senior Center).
Senior permit applications can be downloaded and mailed to the City of Redondo Beach c/o Parking Enforcement Unit, Senior Parking Permits, P.O. Box 270, along with a check and a copy of your current driver's license. The application can also be turned in and paid for in person at City Hall.
Santa Monica offers monthly, semiannual or annual beach parking permits and a senior permit at a discounted rate. The monthly permit costs $27. The semiannual that is valid from now through December costs $105; the annual permit works from January through December and costs $155.
All the permit options allow you to park in most Santa Monica beach lots during hours of operation, excluding the Pier Deck, the Annenberg Beach House, and all short-term lots.
The $25 senior permit is valid from April 1 through March 31 and allows you to park in most Santa Monica Beach lots, excluding the Pier Deck and short-term parking areas.
Permits can be purchased online , in-person at the Parking Operations Office at 144 4th Street in Santa Monica, or by mailing required documents to the Parking Operations Office.
Long Beach offers annual day and overnight parking passes to the public, but the cost depends on the lot you'd like to use.
An annual overnight parking pass valid from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. at Alamitos Beach, Junipero Beach, Belmont Memorial Pier and La Verne costs $336.
Annual day parking passes for Marina Green, 54th Place, Colorado Lagoon Marina Park and Granada Beach cost $155 for non-seniors and $75 for seniors. The permits are valid from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The passes can be purchased through the city's online portal or in person at the Parking Operations Office at 420 Pine Ave. in Long Beach. For more information, call 562-570-8055.
Orange County
Through Orange County's Parks department, the public can purchase annual parking passes for Capistrano and Sal Creek Beaches, which can be used to park all day (but not overnight) at lots that are gated or have meters.
A regular pass costs $55 and a senior pass costs $35, and are effective for one year from the date of purchase.
Parking passes can be obtained at the Heritage Hill Historical Park, Irvine Ranch Historic Park, OC Sailing and Events Center or the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve. For more information, call the annual pass help desk at 714-619-8057 or email annualpass@parking concepts.com.
Huntington Beach offers a beach parking permit for $195 that's valid at the following locations: meters along Pacific Coast Highway and Beach Boulevard; city beach parking lots from Beach Boulevard to the pier; the Pier Plaza "Pay-by-Plate" lots at 6th Street; the parking lot adjacent to the Warner Avenue Fire Station and boat launch; and the Main Promenade parking structure on Walnut and Olive Streets.
A senior pass is offered for $100 and is valid at the same locations.
The pass is not valid on Main Street or residential or business meters.
Parking passes can be purchased in person at 103 Pacific Coast Highway or online . For more information, call 714-536-5281.
Newport Beach has two parking permit offerings: the Balboa Pier Municipal Lot overnight parking permit and the annual parking permit.
The Balboa Pier permit allows you to park during the day or overnight (from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.) without paying a day use fee. The fee for the permit varies; if purchased anytime from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, it costs $300.75. If the permit is purchased from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 it's $75.25. It expires Dec. 31.
The annual parking permit can be used at most city lots, as well as paid spaces that display a painted "A." There's a map online that shows where the designated parking spots are located. The The permit costs $209.25 if purchased from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, or $52.25 if purchased from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. A senior who purchases either permit will get a 50% discount.
Whatever the purchase date is, the permits expire Dec. 31.
The permits can be purchased online or in person at the Newport Beach Civic Center at 100 Civic Center Drive.
San Clemente offers an annual metered parking permit for $50 to residents or $100 to nonresidents. This permit can be used at any city-operated metered space at North Beach, Linda Lane, Parque Del Mar/Pier Bowl or T-Street. The permit does not apply to state-operated metered spaces at the Calafia State Beach and Trestles State Beach lots.
The permit is valid for 12 months. For more information on how to purchase one, call the city's Finance Division at 949-361-8315 or email Parking@san-clemente.org.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .
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