Starting October 13, drivers who park at metered spots in downtown Tacoma will pay $1.50 an hour instead of $1, a 50-cent bump that city officials say is designed to push all-day parkers into off-street garages and lots. The increase applies only to metered street spaces, not city-owned garages and lots, which will keep their own separate rate structure.
A Plan Years in the Making
The rate change is the latest step in a parking system overhaul that The News Tribune reports began in 2025, with the city framing the increase as a way to encourage longer-stay drivers to use off-street parking instead of tying up curbside spots meant for shorter visits. Tacoma officials say the change follows a 2024 parking study that used a year-long analysis of parking patterns, including surveyors monitoring license plate data at different times throughout the day. That study found slightly less than one-third of downtown parking spots were occupied by the same vehicle for at least five hours, while thousands of spaces in city-owned garages and lots sat empty during peak times.
Joseph Loran, co-chair of Tacoma's parking advisory group, said the city needs a better balance between short-visit parkers and all-day parkers, noting that on-street spots are designed for shorter visits. The parking advisory group recommended the proposed plan to the city manager, and existing time limits on street parking will remain in effect even after the rate hike takes effect.
Cheaper Garages, Discount Passes Aim to Soften the Blow
To make garages more attractive, Tacoma lowered its off-street parking maximum from $16 to $12 in July, with participating city-owned lots now charging $1 an hour for the first four hours and $3 an hour after that. The city has also introduced reduced-cost monthly parking in a downtown garage for people who demonstrate financial need, and discounted passes are available for all-day downtown parking, though the discounted programs require advance registration in advance.
Not everyone thinks the changes will shift their habits. Claire Umubyeyi, a 40-year-old Renton resident, said she would rather not pay for parking at all, but the 50-cent increase likely would not change her parking behavior. She noted that paying $1 ten times would cost $10, adding that the costs are especially noticeable when she makes multiple stops for appointments or short visits downtown. Vincent Rovanera, a 21-year-old Tacoma resident who usually tries to find free parking when possible, said the increase would not make much difference, but compared rising parking prices to grocery prices that keep climbing.
Business Owner Says the City Ignored His Concerns
Aaron Artis, who co-owns The Method Skateboards and Coffee near 9th Street on Tacoma's waterfront and founded the business almost five years ago, was more pointed in his criticism, calling the parking increase an extra tax on customers. Artis said city parking enforcement tickets customers who leave their cars for just a few minutes without paying, and that enforcement staff constantly circle downtown areas. He said he has never seen downtown employees tie up his customers' parking spots, but argued many remaining downtown companies have dedicated garages that shield them from the same pressure — meaning the price increase will hurt his bottom line more than competitors in areas with more free on-street parking.
Artis said he has tried to share his concerns with the city in meetings, but feels the city ultimately ignored them. Maria Lee, a City of Tacoma spokesperson, pushed back on that characterization, saying meetings and deliberations about the plan were open to the public and that the process was designed to gather input from the community and stakeholders. Lee reiterated that the city supports more short-term on-street parking and pointed to Tacoma's reduced-cost parking options as evidence the city considered affordability, adding that the adjustments were not made abruptly.
Comparing Tacoma's Rates to the Region
Even after the increase, Tacoma's street parking rates remain modest compared to nearby Seattle, where the Department of Transportation uses performance-based dynamic pricing updated up to three times a year, pushing rates as high as $7 an hour during peak afternoon hours in high-demand commercial areas, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation. Seattle's approach aims to keep one to two open spots available per block through variable pricing, a different strategy than Tacoma's flat rate adjustments.
The city's broader parking updates have included technical changes as well. Tacoma completed its transition to a paperless Pay by Plate system on May 1, 2026, ending the requirement for printed dashboard receipts, and expanded mobile payment options across multiple apps that July, according to the City of Tacoma. Enforcement officers now scan license plates digitally to check payment status rather than checking for paper receipts.
Broader Push Toward Fewer Parking Mandates
The rate changes also arrive alongside a larger regulatory shift. Following 2025 Washington State legislation, Tacoma's Planning Commission drafted municipal code amendments in 2026 to eliminate minimum off-street parking requirements citywide, reflecting a statewide move to reduce mandatory parking near transit and housing. Tacoma's Parking Technical Advisory Group, the 12-member volunteer body that recommended the current changes, was established by City Council Ordinance 27840 back in 2010 to guide citywide parking and curb management policy, with members representing local business owners, residents, and frequent commuters.
