Sacramento proposes hiking parking violation fees amid $66M budget shortfall

Motorists who violate the city of Sacramento’s parking codes could face bigger fines this year.

Sacramento City Manager Maraskeshia Smith proposed raising parking ticket fees in her budget released Wednesday to help stave off a $66.2 budget deficit.

For the past two years, the city has raised rates at meter and off-street garages amid fiscal shortfalls. Drivers paid about $17.8 million in parking fees from July 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2025 — an increase of about $2.4 million compared to the same period in 2024 and up $4.8 million from the same time period in 2023, according to The Sacramento Bee’s previous reporting.

Now, violators of the city’s parking regulations could face increased fees, some of which were also raised in 2024.

Here are some of the proposed parking violation fees, compared to the fees in 2024:

• The fee for an expired meter could increase to $80, up from $50.
• The fee for wrongly parking in a designated residential permit area could increase from $60, up from $40.
• The fee for parking in an area during restricted hours could increase to $60, up from $40.
• The fee for parking outside a designated marked parking space could increase to $60, up from $35.
• The fee for parking in a bike lane could increase to $150, up from $50.
• The fee for parking in a passenger loading zone could increase to $70, up from $40.
• The fee for parking in a no parking zone could increase to $70, up from $40.

Smith has proposed slashing 46 filled positions and 100 vacancies to help balance her proposed $1.7 billion budget. Some programs would also be cut.

Not every person employed in the 46 filled positions will be laid off — some people will move to a different job. No police officers or firefighters will receive pink slips.

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the proposed budget Tuesday. The final budget is scheduled to be adopted June 9.

The new fees would start after the budget goes into effect on July 1, but only after a warning period.

This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 4:00 PM.

Ishani Desai

The Sacramento Bee

916-321-1022

Ishani Desai is a government watchdog reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She previously covered crime and courts for The Bakersfield Californian.