Parking Meters — Installation and Operation
San Diego Municipal Code § 82.06
in effect§82.06 Parking Meters — Installation and Operation
Where the Council of the City of San Diego creates a parking meter zone, the installation and operation of parking meters shall be as follows:
(a) Single-space parking meters installed in parking meter zones established as provided in Section 82.04 shall be placed upon the curb immediately adjacent to individual parking spaces. Each single-space parking meter shall be placed or set in such manner as to display whether the parking space adjacent to that meter is legally in use or not. Upon the deposit of coins or the purchase of time using an approved method of payment, each single-space parking meter shall be set to display a sign indicating legal parking and shall continue to operate for that period of time not exceeding the limit of parking time which has been established for that area or zone. Upon the expiration of legal parking time, each single-space parking meter shall indicate by proper signal that the lawful parking period has expired.
(b) Multi-space parking meters installed in parking meter zones established as provided in Section 82.04 shall be placed upon the curb immediately within the parking meter zone(s) or portions thereof to which they apply.
(c) Upon the purchase of time using an approved method of payment, a multi-space parking meter shall either produce a receipt to be used by the parking user as proof of valid parking as described in section 86.14, or electronically record the expiration of the time purchased for an individual parking space entered by the parking user, which may be checked for enforcement or other purposes. A receipt produced by a multi-space parking meter shall be displayed by the parking user in a fully visible and conspicuous location as instructed on the receipt, in order to be valid or otherwise considered effective. A vehicle is lawfully parked in a parking meter zone if:
(1) the vehicle displays a receipt which is legible to an enforcement officer, evidencing purchase of parking meter time at the posted parking rate and within the maximum time limit at the multi-space parking meter located immediately adjacent to the parking meter zone where the vehicle is parked. The receipt, shall indicate the expiration of parking time, which shall be the equivalent of an expiration time indicated by the parking meter; or
(2) the vehicle is parked in a designated parking space which has a multi-space parking meter that does not produce a receipt for display, but which indicates a valid parking time.
(d) Notwithstanding sections 82.06 (a) through 82.06 (c), 86.11, 86.14, and 86.15, a vehicle is lawfully parked in a parking meter zone if it displays a card or electronic device that is legible to an enforcement officer and which has been approved by the City Manager as an alternative method of parking meter payment. The card or electronic device shall indicate the expiration of parking time in accordance with the posted parking rate and within the maximum time limit specified for that parking meter zone.
(Amended 6–24–1996 by O–18316 N.S.)
(Retitled from “Parking Meters — Operation” to “Parking Meters — Installation and Operation” and amended 4-1-2011 by O-20033 N.S.; effective 5-1-2011.)
Source: City of San Diego Office of the City Clerk, San Diego Municipal Code and City Charter (docs.sandiego.gov PDFs)URL: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter08/Ch08Art02Division00.pdf#page=3Fetched: 10/28/2026