Downtown Tacoma drivers will pay 50 percent more to park at a meter starting Oct. 13, when on-street rates jump from $1 to $1.50 per hour.

The increase is the final piece of a parking overhaul the city began in 2025, according to a City of Tacoma announcement published Monday, Sept. 14.

The city wants to steer short-term visitors to street spots and push all-day commuters into city-owned garages, where rates have already been cut.

A 2024 city parking study drove the changes. It found that up to 31 percent of on-street stalls were occupied by the same vehicle for five hours or longer.

At the same time, thousands of spaces in city-owned garages sat empty during peak hours.

"We kept coming back to the need for a better balance between people stopping for a short visit, typically clients, customers and visitors, and people who need to park all day, typically employees," said Joseph Loran, co-chair of the Parking Technical Advisory Group and a downtown business owner.

Garage rates already dropped

Before raising meter prices, the city cut the daily maximum at participating city-owned garages from $16 to $12.

Hourly garage rates fell to $1 for the first four hours, then $3 per hour after that.

Two new programs sweeten the garage deal. A Downtown Parking Savings Pass gives registered users a 20 percent discount on the daily maximum.

The city also launched a Reduced-Rate Monthly Parking pilot, though it has not disclosed the pilot's start or end dates.

What else changed

Downtown meters now use a pay-by-plate system with expanded mobile payment options. Drivers no longer need to leave paper tickets on their dashboards.

The switch means parkers enter their license plate number at the meter or through a phone app instead of displaying a receipt on the windshield.

Existing time limits on street spots remain in effect. The rate hike applies to current meter zones in the downtown core.

What comes next

The city has not announced a timeline for reviewing the rate changes or the monthly parking pilot. It also has not published a list of which garages and lots qualify as "participating" facilities under the new pricing.

Residents can find participating locations, current rates and discount details on the city's downtown parking options page.