Broken Parking Meters and Meter Tickets in San Diego

This guide covers City of San Diego on-street meters. As of November 1, 2026, the City's Parking Meter Operations page says the City manages approximately 5,300 metered spaces, and the Office of the City Treasurer is responsible for installing, repairing, maintaining and monitoring them.

• Note the meter number first. It is on the street side of the meter housing or at the bottom of the display screen. The City's example is 4-1615 (Fourth Avenue, 1600 block).
• Vandalism. San Diego Municipal Code section 86.0129 makes it unlawful for any unauthorized person to deface, tamper with, open, break or impair a parking meter, and section 86.0130 bans putting slugs or other substitutes for coins into a meter.

The City's parking pages direct broken-meter reports to Parking Meter Operations by phone; we did not find a separate parking-meter category on them for the Get It Done app. For other City problems, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego.

The City's Parking Meters FAQ answers this directly: "The best thing to do is move to another meter and report the broken meter to Parking Meter Operations at (619) 744-1705."

• Move to a working meter if you can, then report the broken one with its meter number.
• The law. San Diego Municipal Code section 86.0123(c) says a driver parking at a meter must, upon entering the space, immediately deposit coins or buy time using an approved method of payment. The City's parking pages do not say you may park free at a meter that is not working.
• If you are cited anyway, the City's appeal page says you may submit statements, photographs, maps or receipts with an Administrative Review. A photo of the meter display and its number, and a note of when you reported it, can help. See contesting a meter citation.

As of November 1, 2026, the City says its meters accept:

• Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard and Discover). The minimum credit card transaction at a meter is $1.25.
• The Park Smarter app, at meters with the blue Park Smarter sticker. The City says the app can alert you before your time runs out and lets you add time remotely. The City does not use QR codes for payment, only to download the app.
• NFC payments (Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay) on supported meters.
• Coins.

Card fee. Starting November 1, 2025, a $0.35 transaction fee applies to all credit card payments, whether you pay at the meter, in the Park Smarter app or through Text to Pay. The City says the fee is collected by the parking meter vendor and is not kept by the City, and that you can avoid it by canceling the card transaction and paying with coins.

Meter rates vary by area. San Diego Municipal Code section 86.0123 sets a range of $1.00 to $20.00 an hour, within which the City Manager sets each meter's rate based on occupancy, turnover and demand. Check the rate posted on the meter.

• What the Code allows. Municipal Code section 86.0128 sets meter operation at 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. except holidays, and lets the City Manager extend hours to as early as 7 a.m. and as late as 11 p.m., for at least ten hours a day. Before Sunday meter enforcement in residential or mixed-use areas of a meter zone created before January 1, 2025, a Residential Parking Permit Area must be created for that area.
• Time limits still apply when you pay. The City's FAQ says that even if the meter is paid, you cannot stay beyond the posted limit, and section 86.0127 bars buying more time to extend your stay past the legal limit.
• Park inside the lines. Section 86.0124 requires vehicles at marked meter spaces to park entirely within the lines.

As of November 1, 2026, the City's Parking Enforcement Holidays page says these holidays apply only to parking meters, yellow commercial zones, short-term green zones and one-to-two-hour time zones. All other parking rules are enforced.

* The City says Parking Enforcement patrols and enforces other parking violations in the beach communities on the Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day holiday weekends.

• Get a receipt. The City's Parking Meter Operations page sends you to My Parking Receipt for a receipt from a meter transaction.
• Report a problem charge to Parking Meter Operations at 619-744-1705 or through the Parking Administration online contact form, with the meter number, date, time and receipt.

As of November 1, 2026, we did not find a published refund process for meter payments on the City's parking pages, so ask Parking Meter Operations how it handles your case. Refunds the City does describe are for citations: a hearing deposit is refunded if the hearing dismisses the citation, and the court filing fee and deposit are refunded if the Superior Court dismisses it.

What the citations cost. The meter-related fines on the City's parking citation fine schedule:

From the City of San Diego parking citation fine amounts, as of November 1, 2026. The City says all amounts include an $11.00 California state surcharge; late fees are extra.

• Pay within 21 calendar days to avoid delinquent penalties, says the City's parking FAQ. You can pay online, by mail to PO Box 129038, San Diego, CA 92112 (checks payable to City Treasurer), or in person at 1200 Third Ave., Suite 100, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Check a citation on the City's Customer Services Portal with the citation number, or the license plate and state.
• Unpaid citations lead to a lien on the vehicle registration with added fees and penalties, and may go to the City Treasurer's Delinquent Accounts Program, the City's Citations page says. Qualifying registered owners can apply for a low-income payment plan ($5 enrollment fee per citation).

As of November 1, 2026, the City's Appeal a Parking Citation page says parking citations are civil penalties, not criminal offenses, and there are three levels of appeal. Each must be taken in order and on time; no step can be skipped.

• Step 1: Administrative Review. Submit it online or by mail to PO Box 129038, San Diego, CA 92112-9038. It must be received (postmarked) within 21 calendar days of the date the citation was issued, or within 14 calendar days of the mailing of the Notice of Delinquent Parking Violation. Include the citation number, plate number and state; a copy of the citation may speed processing. No payment is required at this step, and the decision is mailed to you.
• Step 2: Administrative Hearing. If the review is denied, request a hearing no later than 21 calendar days from the mailing of the review results, by mail with your payment slip, in person, by phone at 866-470-1308, or through the online form. State law requires the citation amount to be deposited when you ask. Hearings can be by phone, by mail or in person. If the citation is dismissed, the deposit is refunded.
• Step 3: Superior Court. The hearing officer's decision can be appealed to the Superior Court with a $25 civil filing fee. The Court's decision is final. If the citation is dismissed, Parking Administration refunds the $25 fee and the citation deposit with proof of payment.

The City lists reasons that do not support dismissal, including "I did not see the sign or curb markings" and "I was only in violation for a minute." It says the owner and driver bear the burden of proof, and that you may submit statements, photographs, maps or receipts. A meter payment receipt or a photo of a broken meter's display fits that list. This is general information, not legal advice.

For red zones, blocked driveways and other parking problems, see our blocked driveways and illegal parking guide. If your car was towed, see our towed or impounded car guide.