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Legacy Permit Holder Program

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What is the Legacy Permit Holder Program?

The Cota Commuter Lot has been designated as the future location for the new City of Santa Barbara police station. Cota Commuter Lot permit holders will be relocated from the Cota Lot into City Lots 2 or 10 as a part of the Legacy Permit Holder Program. Legacy Permit Holder Program participants will maintain their permit fees at the existing Cota Commuter Permit rate of $70 per month for a duration of two years, instead of being charged the standard monthly rate for their new parking lot. Moreover, they will be exempt from any price adjustments during this timeframe.

The transition into the Legacy Permit Holder Program began on May 15, 2024 and will be complete on July 31, 2024. Permit Holders with an active, paid permit as of May 31, 2024, will transition into the program beginning August 1st, 2024.

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Important Dates & Deadlines Legacy Permit Holder Transition Process: Eligibility Requirements

Please review the details provided below for guidance on transitioning to the Legacy Permit Holder Program, important deadlines, and frequently asked questions. If you no longer wish to have a permit to park in a City lot, please submit your termination request using the online form.

All permit holders must complete the transfer process before the deadline of July 15, 2024.

The transition schedule is as follows:

May 31, 2024 – Cutoff for new Cota Commuter Permits. Only complete applications received before this date will be eligible for the program.
July 15, 2024 – Legacy Permit Holder application is due, and account must be paid in full through the June 2024 invoice. Permit holders with past due accounts will not be approved until the account is brought current through the June 2024 invoice. Any permits on past due accounts as of July 31, 2024 will be terminated and will not be eligible for the Legacy Permit Program. Pay your invoice online here: Pay Invoice
July 31, 2024 – Last day parking in the Cota Commuter Lot.
August 1, 2024 – First day parking in new assigned lot. Also, NO invoices will be issued in August as parking for this month was paid for on July’s invoice. Going forward, you will be invoiced for the current month’s parking, rather than one month in advance as you were in the commuter lot.
September 1, 2024 – First invoice issued under the Legacy Permit Holder Program.

You must submit an application online and upload the following documents:
- Current CA vehicle registration for any vehicle you will use with the permit. If the vehicle is not registered to you, you will also need to submit a photo of your photo ID.
- Photo of your current Cota Lot permit.

Once your application has been approved, you will be contacted with information on how to pick up your new permit. A series of pick-up days will be held in July at the Cota Commuter Lot where permit holders can pick-up new permits. You will be required to show your photo ID at pick-up. Each permit holder will be required to pick up their own permit.

Applicant must have an active Cota Commuter Permit issued in their name by May 31, 2024. No new Cota Commuter permits will be issued after that date.
Account payments must be current. Permit holders on accounts that are past-due will not be eligible for the program. Permits that are not fully paid by July 15th, 2024 will be terminated.
Permit holders will no longer be eligible for the Legacy Permit rate if the permit is terminated for any reason.
Legacy Permit application and vehicle registration must be submitted by July 15, 2024. Active Cota Lot permit holders who fail to submit their application and vehicle registration by this date will be deemed ineligible for the legacy rate.
July 31, 2024 is the final day that parking will be permitted in the Cota Commuter Lot. Failure to take the required steps for the transition will result in permit termination on July 31, 2024. Vehicles parked in the Cota Lot after July 31st may be cited or towed.
Legacy Permit participants may not begin to park in their new lot until August 1, 2024. Parking fees accrued prior to that date must be paid in full. If you fail to pick-up your permit prior to August 1st, you are responsible for all parking fees accrued prior to receiving your permit.
All monthly parking permit terms and conditions apply to incoming legacy permit holders who are transitioning to a monthly lot.

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Eligibility Requirements

Why do I need to submit a new application? We need to confirm that the person assigned to the permit is still the person using the permit. To be eligible for the program, the permit must only be used by the assigned permit holder. Permit applications are a contract between the permit holder and the City, therefore, when a change occurs, the contract must be updated to match the current agreement. Permits in the city garages have a different set of Terms and Conditions than the commuter lots, so the contracts are a bit different.
Why am I required to submit a photo of my CA ID or Driver’s License with my application if my vehicle is not registered in my name? To be eligible for the Legacy Permit Holder Program, you must currently have a Cota Commuter Permit issued in your name. Permits are non-transferable and may only be used by the named permit holder. If your vehicle is not registered in your name, we require you to also submit ID to prove that your name matches that of the permit holder.
What happens if I terminate my permit and then apply again a few months later, but within the two-year program window? Once a permit is terminated for any reason, the permit holder is no longer eligible for the Legacy Permit Holder Program or rate protection and must reapply under the rate structure in effect at that time.
If I currently have a permit in one of the other city parking lots, can I apply for a Cota Commuter Lot permit and be eligible for the Legacy program? No. Permit holders in other city lots with active permits are not eligible for the Legacy program.

Permit Management and Conditions

If I need to add another vehicle to my permit in the future, what do I do? If the vehicle is registered in the permit holder’s name, you can use the online permit holder update form to submit a photo of the vehicle registration. If the vehicle is not registered in the permit holder’s name, you will also need to provide a photo ID to prove that the permit holder will be using the vehicle.
Am I allowed to use the permit in a vehicle for which I haven't submitted a registration? No. Vehicles associated with the permit are authorized through the parking system’s License Plate Recognition system based on submitted registrations. If you will be using a vehicle for a short period of time, for example, a rental car, contact the parking office for instructions.
Can I share my permit with someone else? No. Permits are non-transferable and can only be used by the named permit holder.

Parking and Permit Use

Which parking garage will I be assigned to? You will be assigned to either City Lot 2 (914 Chapala Street) or City Lot 10 (641 Anacapa Street). You may note a preference for your new lot location on your application, but final lot assignments will be determined by the City based on availability. Lot assignments will take work location into consideration.
Will I still use a hangtag as a permit? No. Your new permit will work in two ways. You will be issued a physical proximity card which is used at the entrance and exit of the lot to lift the gate arm. We will also activate License Plate Recognition (LPR) for your vehicle which will allow the parking system to automatically raise the gate for you as you approach the entrance and exit. When the LPR system opens the gate, you will not need to use the permit card. The permit card serves as a backup system in case the LPR system does not read your plate. Always keep the permit card with you as you may be responsible for fees accrued while not using your permit.

Billing

What happens after two years of paying the Legacy Permit Holder rate? Legacy Permit Holders will be eligible to continue paying the Cota Commuter Lot rate for a period of two years, from August 2024 through July 2026. If you would like to continue to have a parking permit after July 2026, your rate will increase to the standard monthly rate in that lot. You will also have the option to transfer to any other city parking lot that has available permits at the standard permit rate for that lot.
The City has proposed lowering permits in all parking garages to $70/month for Fiscal Year 2025. As that is the same rate as the Legacy Permit Holder Program, why can’t I just transfer to any lot of my choosing? Why do I need to go through the Legacy Permit Holder Program to get this rate? Although the City is proposing to reduce most downtown employee parking permits to $70.00, there is always a possibility of future permit price increases (although that is not currently planned for FY26). Legacy Permit Holder participants will be protected from price increases for the length of the two-year program.
For my Cota Permit, I pay one month in advance (example, I pay for August’s parking in July), will that change when I transfer into the new lot? Permits in the City garages are billed differently than the Commuter Lots in that they are billed for the current month. You will not receive an invoice for the month of August as August will be paid for on your July invoice. In September, you will receive your first invoice as a part of the Legacy program. That invoice will be for September’s parking.

Employer Paid Permits / Group Accounts

If an employee on our account under the Legacy Program terminates their permit, can we replace that permit with a new employee for the remainder of the two-years? No. Only permit holders with a permit issued in their name as of May 31, 2024 are eligible for the program.
Can a new employee apply for a Cota Lot permit after May 31st? No. We will not issue any new Cota permits after May 31, 2024. New employees are eligible to apply for a permit in any of the other city lots where permits are currently available. Please visit the Downtown Parking website for current permit availability.
Can I submit the new application on behalf of my employees? No. The permit application is a contract between the permit holder and the City. The permit holder must complete the application and read and sign the included Terms and Conditions.
Can I pick up the new permits for all of my employees? No. As participation in the Legacy Permit Program is granting the permit holder a significant discount on permit parking for two years, we must confirm that the permit holder listed on the application is the same person using the permit. By requiring ID at pick-up, we are able to confirm program eligibility.

Legacy Permit Holder Program

What is the Legacy Permit Holder Program?

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