Phone App Added to Parking Options at the Santa Barbara Waterfront

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - To create more efficiencies a pay by phone system has been added to the waterfront parking program options in Santa Barbara.

Under the current system – in place since 2025 – after a driver parks, they enter the license plate in the system, then enter the time they want to stay based on the fee structure, pay and then they are done.

This eliminates a printed ticket or the need to put a receipt on your dash.

Your license plate is your permit.

It can now be all done in person at the pay station of by mobile app providers, PayByPhone and ParkMobile.

Both platforms are widely used across the country in cities and college campuses across the country, including UC Santa Barbara.

They are in place at Leadbetter Beach, Chase Palm Park, Garden St. lot and the Cabrillo Pavilion at East Beach. 

In addition, the pay by plate system, a driver can use a phone app to add time to their payment if they are gone from their car longer than they originally paid for without having to rush back to their car.

The waterfront staff will have a vehicle with a camera that can read license plates in the parking lot and detect any vehicle that has not been entered in the system. Anyone who exceeds the time limit will get a paper ticket.

Two parking lots still have staffed kiosks. Those will be at Stearns Wharf and the Harbor Main area.

One machine in each lot will still take cash for those without a credit or debit card.

A recent review of the upgraded system showed 3,500 had used the mobile app transactions and 400 users extended their parking remotely.

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