4/15-5/3: Central Library Lower Level/Children’s Library area will be closed due to construction work.
Contact Us
Downtown Parking Office
1221 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 564-5656 Tel.
Mailing Address
City of Santa Barbara
P.O. Box 1990
Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990
Downtown Parking Counter Walk-in Hours
Monday through Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM (PT)
Monday through Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (PT)
Alternate Fridays
8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (PT)
Calendar of Closed Fridays
Permit Holder Updates
Permit Account Maintenance
2024 Commuter Hangtag Permit Renewal
(Applies ONLY to parking permits for the Cota and Carrillo Commuter Parking Lots with hangtag style permits. Permit holders using the proximity card or 'license plate recognition' style permit in the public Downtown Parking lots do not need to complete the below renewal process).
2024 Permit Renewal Instructions - Individually Paid Account
- Annual Renewal Form - October 1st, 2023 – November 30, 2023:
- All permit holders are required to submit an Annual Renewal Form. This form must be submitted by the named permit holder. If a renewal form is not received for a permit holder, the permit will be terminated automatically on December 31, 2023. To avoid delays in issuing permits, all permit holders should complete this form by November 30, 2023. See the FAQ for more information.
- Account Payment - November 1st, 2023:
- The invoice for December parking will be mailed on 11/1/23. This invoice is due on November 15th. ALL invoices through and INCLUDING the November invoice MUST be paid to receive 2024 hangtags.
- Permit Issuance - December 1st, 2023:
- We will issue permits after the Annual Renewal Form has been submitted AND the account payments are current.
- Permits will be available for pick-up in our office at 1221 Anacapa Street during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:00pm, closed alternate Fridays). Downtown Parking offices will be closed December 22nd through January 2nd.
- Please ONLY come to pick up your permit if you have been told by our office that your permit is ready for pick-up. Your permit will only be available AFTER you have received confirmation that it is ready for pick-up.
- Permits WILL NOT be mailed.
- Permit Enforcement - January 15th:
- End of grace period. 2024 hangtags will no longer be honored and vehicles displaying expired tags will be cited for not displaying a permit. Permits with past due balances or permits that have not been verified will be terminated.
2024 Permit Renewal Instructions - Employer Paid Account
- Annual Renewal Form - October 1st, 2023 – November 30, 2023:
- All permit holders are required to submit an Annual Renewal Form. This form must be submitted by the named permit holder. If a renewal form is not received for a permit holder, the permit will be terminated automatically on December 31, 2023. To avoid delays in issuing permits, all permit holders should complete this form by November 30, 2023. See the FAQ for more information.
- Account Payment - November 1st, 2023:
- The invoice for December parking will be mailed on 11/1/23. This invoice is due on November 15th. ALL invoices through and INCLUDING the November invoice MUST be paid to receive 2024 hangtags.
- Billing Account Confirmation - First Week of November:
- We will email the designated employer contact to confirm accuracy of the permit holder list. Please inform Downtown Parking if the employer does not intend to continue to pay for a permit. Employers may remove permit holders from their account at any time, at which point the permit will either be terminated, or the account will be placed into the permit holder’s name.
- Permit Issuance - December 1st, 2023:
- We will issue permits to group accounts who have verified their permit holder billing lists AND paid all open invoices.
- Permits will only be issued for permit holders who have submitted their Annual Renewal Form.
- Permits will be available for pick-up in our office at 1221 Anacapa Street during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:00pm, closed alternate Fridays). Downtown Parking offices will be closed December 22nd through January 2nd.
- Please ONLY come to pick up your permits if you have been told by our office that your permits are ready for pick-up. Permits will only be available AFTER you have received a confirmation that they are ready for pick-up.
- Permits WILL NOT be mailed.
- Please send one person to pick-up permits for your entire account. Permits will not be handed out individually for group accounts. Pick-up person will be asked to verify and sign that all permits on permit holder list are included in the permit packet.
- Permit Enforcement - January 15th:
- End of grace period. 2024 hangtags will no longer be honored and vehicles displaying expired tags will be cited for not displaying a permit. Permits with past due balances or permits that have not been verified will be terminated.
2024 Permit Renewal Instructions - Permit Holders on Employer Paid Accounts
- Annual Renewal Form - October 1st, 2023 – November 30, 2023
- Permit holders are required to submit an Annual Renewal Form. This form must be submitted by the named permit holder. If a renewal form is not received for a permit holder, the permit will be terminated automatically on December 31, 2023. To avoid delays in issuing permits, all permit holders should complete this form by November 30, 2023. See the FAQ for more information.
- Account Payment - November 1st, 2023:
- Your permit is billed to your employer’s permit account. ALL invoices through and INCLUDING the November invoice MUST be paid to receive 2024 hangtags.
- Billing Account Confirmation - First Week of November:
- We will email your employer’s account contact to confirm their intention to continue paying for your permit. Employers may remove permit holders from their account at any time, at which point the permit will either be terminated, or the account will be placed into the permit holder’s name.
- Permit Issuance – December 2023:
- We will issue permits to group accounts who have verified their permit holder billing lists AND paid all open invoices.
- Permits will only be issued for permit holders who have submitted their Annual Renewal Form.
- Permits will not be handed out to individual permit holders for group accounts. Each group account will be asked to send one person to pick up all permits for the account.
- Permit Enforcement - January 15th:
- End of grace period. 2024 hangtags will no longer be honored and vehicles displaying expired tags will be cited for not displaying a permit. Permits with past due balances or permits that have not been verified will be terminated.
FAQs - Commuter Permit Renewal - Permit Holder
A: If you would like to keep your permit through 2023, but will not need your permit in 2024, please complete the Annual Renewal Form, but select “Terminate Permit on December 31, 2023” for the 2024 Renewal Selection question. You do not need to return you hangtag.
A: If you would like to terminate your permit before December 31, 2023. Please complete the Commuter Permit Termination Request form, and either return your permit hangtag to the Downtown Parking office, or, cut the permit in half and submit a photo of the destroyed permit. If you have already submitted an Annual Renewal Form, the subsequent termination request will override the renewal.
A: There are a few reasons why we have added this new step to our annual renewal process. Many of our permit holders have had their permits for years and we have found that our contact information and home address (required for permit eligibility) may have changed since the application was originally submitted. Additionally, we need to confirm that the permits are being used by the assigned permit holder. Finally, this is also an opportunity to remind permit holders and employers that the permit contracts are between The City and the permit holder. This means that the permit holder is responsible for communicating any permit changes or requests to Downtown Parking.
A: Permits may only be used in vehicles that are currently registered in California and have been added to the permit as an authorized vehicle. Therefore, we must confirm that the vehicle(s) displaying the permit meet that requirement. Please submit registration for all vehicles that you expect to drive on a regular basis. The vehicle(s) do not need to be registered in your name. A permit can be revoked if it is used in an unauthorized vehicle.
FAQs - Commuter Permit Renewal - Group Account
A: Permits and the permit contract are the responsibility of the permit holder. As a courtesy, we create group billing accounts to make it easier for employers to pay for their employee’s permits. But, even when an employer pays for their employee’s permit, the permit contract is with the permit holder, not the employer. Therefore, the permit holder is responsible for compliance with the Terms and Conditions of the permit contract, including communicating any changes in information or permit usage. This means that the employee needs to submit the renewal form to continue their permit contract into 2024, or, let us know if they will be ending that contract by terminating the permit.
For group/employer paid accounts, Downtown Parking will confirm the employer’s intention to continue to pay for the employee’s permit prior to issuing the 2024 permit. If the employer does not intend to continue to pay for the permit, the permit holder will be required to move the permit billing into an individual paid account under their own name prior to receiving their 2024 permit. Employers may remove permit holders from their account at any time, at which point the permit will either be terminated, or the account will be placed into the permit holder’s name.
A: Yes. We will confirm with group accounts all permits that have been authorized to bill to their account. If we do not receive an Annual Renewal Form from an approved permit holder, we will mark that permit as terminated and remove it from the January invoice. If the permit holder does submit their form after the termination has been entered, we can reverse the termination, resume billing, and issue the 2024 hangtag to the permit holder. This process could delay the issuance of permits, so please encourage your permit holders to submit their renewal form by November 30th.
A: Permits are issued to the person listed on the permit application and the contract is between the named permit holder and the City of Santa Barbara. Permits are not issued to employers and may not be transferred between employees. If a permit holder no longer needs their permit, the permit needs to be terminated. New employees will need to submit a permit application under their own name and may not use a permit assigned to another permit holder. Vehicles displaying a permit that was not assigned to the driver of the vehicle may be cited.