When Balboa Park's paid parking ends on New Year's Day, what happens to the kiosks along Sixth Avenue between Elm and Upas?
The City has set a date for the park itself. Its parking page, updated August 27, 2026, says the City Council "formally approved a settlement to remove paid parking in Balboa Park effective Jan. 1, 2027." The Sixth Avenue meters went in as part of that same program. So far, nobody has said in writing whether they leave with it.
What the repeal actually names
The Council item behind the settlement was Item 641, brought by Councilmember Whitburn. The City's People's Business summary for June 5, 2026 describes it this way:
"The item seeks City Council approval to repeal the Balboa Park Paid Parking Program (Program) within Balboa Park (Park), making parking free for everyone effective January 1, 2027."
The same summary says the compromise also covered "the removal of the forty-six parking meters installed on Park Boulevard." It names Park Boulevard by street and gives a meter count. It says nothing about Sixth Avenue.
Before the vote, CBS 8 reported that "uncertainty remains over the future of parking meters along Sixth Avenue bordering the park." A City Council spokesperson told the station the remaining details were expected at the June 8 vote. The City's own Balboa Park parking page still lists meters on Sixth Avenue from Elm to Upas at $2.50 an hour with a four-hour maximum. That page also says paid parking "remains active through the end of 2026," and it says nothing about what happens to those meters after that.
For Bankers Hill, the park lots matter less than the curb. Sixth Avenue is where the program reached into the neighborhood, and it's the one stretch the repeal language leaves out.
Why Sixth Avenue got meters in the first place
In February 2026, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the kiosks on Sixth Avenue between Elm and Upas had been added in November. The paper also reported that City officials saw the meters as part of the park plan. Without them, park visitors would have filled the free spaces on Sixth instead of paying in the lots.
So the City's stated reason for metering Sixth Avenue was the paid lots across the street. Once those lots go free on January 1, that reason no longer holds the same way. Even so, nothing the City has published says the Sixth Avenue meters go away with the lots.
The same Union-Tribune story named Sixth Avenue along the park as one of the main sources of pushback against new meters across the city. One longtime Sixth Avenue resident told the paper she lives in one of about seven or eight residential buildings on that stretch with no garage or private parking. She also said that drivers who used to park on Sixth now look for free spots farther into Bankers Hill. The City's verified-resident discount doesn't help on that block. The parking page says the discount covers the park lots and passes but "do[es] not apply to parking meters on the roads within or near the park."
Residents asked for permit parking. According to the Union-Tribune, officials said Bankers Hill might not meet the City's criteria, which require severe impact from all-day commuter parking generated by a nearby facility or institution. The City's residential permit program page lists Areas A, B, D, E and F. Bankers Hill isn't one of them, and the program says a permit doesn't reserve a specific curb space for anyone.
The last ten weeks of the park program, by date
Until January 1, the park still runs on the 2026 rules, and passes are being phased out on a schedule. The first two dates below have already passed:
- June 8, 2026. Annual passes stopped selling.
- September 30, 2026. Quarterly passes stopped selling.
- November 30, 2026. Monthly passes stop selling. The resident rate is $30 a month and the nonresident rate is $40.
- December 4 and 5, 2026. December Nights runs Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. Paid parking is still in effect that weekend, and it's enforced from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- December 31, 2026. Any permit bought for 2026 expires on this date or on its own expiration date, whichever comes first.
- January 1, 2027. Parking in Balboa Park becomes free for everyone.
The City says annual passholders whose passes run past January 1 qualify for prorated refunds and that refund instructions will be posted later. The one-time $5 resident registration fee won't be refunded, because it goes directly to the parking vendor.
Enforcement is paused on Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, along with the City's other listed holidays.
What parking in the park costs until then
The City prices each lot by how close it is to the center of the park. Verified City residents must register online in advance to get the free or discounted rates.
| Lot tier | Lots | Verified City resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1, premium | Space Theater, Casa de Balboa, Alcazar, Organ Pavilion, South Carousel | $5 for four hours; $8 per day | $10 for four hours; $16 per day |
| Level 2, general | Pepper Grove, Upper Inspiration Point, Marston Point, Federal, Palisades, Bea Evenson | Free | $10 per day |
| Level 3, general | Lower Inspiration Point | Free | First three hours free; $10 per day |
Verified City residents park free in Marston Point, Pepper Grove and the other general lots. That free tier came from changes Mayor Gloria announced on February 6, 2026. They opened seven general lots to verified City residents at no charge and were expected to take effect March 2. Registration costs a one-time $5. It requires proof of residency and a license plate for each vehicle, and verification can take up to two business days.
The park's free tram runs daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and stops every 10 to 15 minutes at Tram Central and other key spots in the park, according to the City's tram page. Those longer hours started in January 2026 along with paid parking, as the Union-Tribune reported.
Where the Sixth Avenue answer is likely to come from
The settlement fixed the lots and Park Boulevard. Sixth Avenue's meters are still a separate question. As of the City's August 27 update, even Park Boulevard's meters were still listed with their rates and hours. Bankers Hill residents may have to wait until after January 1 to see which meters actually come out.
The City's calendar shows a Bankers Hill Neighborhood Parking Committee that met on August 3, September 7 and October 5, 2026. The committee's event page is the neighborhood-level place where curb parking is on the agenda. Councilmember Whitburn's office is the other place to watch, since his office brought Item 641.
The park's cultural institutions are also watching how parking changes affect visitors. KPBS reported that the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership called the settlement a victory. Arts institutions told the station it would take substantial time and effort to bring audiences back. For anyone living on the park's west edge, the question that matters most is still the curb in front of the building.
This post explains the City's published parking rules as general information. It isn't legal or financial advice, so check the City's Balboa Park parking page for your own permit, pass or refund.
If you own on Sixth Avenue or one block in and want to know how street parking factors into your building's value, Tami Fuller & Associates can walk you through it. Request a complimentary neighborhood market consultation, and we'll talk about what the Bankers Hill curb means for your next move.
