Depending on the day and time, your best chance for cheap parking near Petco Park may be street parking. Arrive early and find a street spot, feed the meter a few quarters until 6 or 8pm (check your meter to be sure) and enjoy the free parking afterwards.

Street Parking Cost

Expect street parking in San Diego to cost around $1.25/hr. Don’t cheap out on that extra quarter. Parking is strictly enforced.

Leaving Car Overnight

Yes you can leave your car on a public street overnight. But check signs and be aware when the meter starts up again (Usually 8am or 10am).

Gaslamp Zone

It used to be free to park in meter spaces downtown after 6pm, convenient for Padres fans heading to a game downtown after work. Now, in a zone of the Gaslamp near Petco Park, parking meter usage will be enforced between 10am and 8pm. The streets included are between Broadway and Harbor Drive, from 1st Avenue to 7th Avenue, just west of Petco Park. If you park to the east, you are all clear. You may park for free after 6pm.

Street Parking Free On Holidays

January: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day February: Presidents Day April: Patriots Day May: Memorial Day July: Independence Day September: Labor Day October: Columbus Day November: Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day December: Christmas Day

Payment Options

Paying for metered parking spots is easy. The following payment formats are accepted: credit card, mobile phone and good old American coins. Increasingly, the city is modernizing to accept NFC payments (Apple Pay, Android Pay).

Extra credit: Find out what the yellow painted curbs mean.