"Parking in your neighborhood is not your parking," California Coastal Commissioner Mike Wilson said in August, according to the Daily Pilot. "It is public parking, no matter where you live. … Your parking is on your property."
He said it just before seconding the motion that let Laguna Beach go ahead with its one-year South Laguna parking pilot. Under the approved plan, more than half the new spaces stay free. The bigger change is a five-hour limit, enforced from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., on every marked space in the project area, paid or free. It applies to the people who live along these streets the same as it does to a day visitor heading for Thousand Steps.
A time limit on every marked space
The Coastal Commission staff report on the appeal lays out the plan. The city will paint about 501 new parking spaces, each eight feet by twenty-two feet, on public streets where parking is already allowed. About 264 will be free and unmetered, and about 237 will be metered. Another 79 or so existing paid spaces inside the project area will be repainted and otherwise left as they are.
The same report says time limits run from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and cap parking at five hours "for both paid and unpaid spaces." Limits aren't enforced outside those hours, so overnight parking stays free.
That means a free space is not an all-day space. Today, much of this curb has no paint and no posted limit. Once the pilot is running, a car parked at 9 a.m. in a free, marked space on one of the covered side streets has to move by 2 p.m., the same as a car in a metered space on Coast Highway.
The Daily Pilot reported that the restriction applies "to both homeowners and the public." Vice Chair Caryl Hart raised it before the vote:
"I can understand their concern, but I feel that given that it's a one-year pilot program, I think the city should be aware and on top of that particular issue, because certainly people should have a right to park (near) their house," Hart said. "I don't see that as a Coastal Act issue, but just something to note."
The pilot does not include a resident exemption. Coastal Commission staff said a permit-parking program would require the city to amend its Local Coastal Program, which in effect would create a preferential parking district. That is a separate process from the appeal the Commission decided.
Where the clock applies
According to the Daily Pilot, the pilot covers about three miles of Coast Highway, from Ruby Street to 500 feet south of Vista del Sol. It also reaches inland onto parts of Upland Road, Eagle Rock Way and Catalina Avenue, plus 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th and 10th avenues.
Six coastal access points sit within the project area, including Aliso, Thousand Steps, Treasure Island and West Street beaches. That explains which side streets were included. The avenues around 9th and 10th sit right behind the Thousand Steps stairway. At the hearing, one resident said those streets absorb beach parking first because there are few other public spaces nearby. A five-hour cap on those blocks is designed to keep spaces turning over. The Commission's report says the limit is meant "to allow members of the public to access the coast while encouraging turnover."
The Woods Cove Owners Assn., joined by some residents, appealed the city-approved project on June 5. They argued that it created preferential parking and reduced overall parking and coastal access, and that public money would be better spent on things like restrooms or a parking garage. The Commission unanimously found no substantial issue.
What five hours costs
On the 237 metered spaces, the Commission report sets the rate at $3.95 an hour from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a daily maximum of $19.75. Because the time limit and the price cap line up, the longest allowed stay costs the most anyone pays in a day.
| Time parked, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Metered space, at $3.95 an hour | Free marked space |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | $3.95 | $0 |
| 3 hours | $11.85 | $0 |
| 5 hours, the limit | $19.75 | $0, then the car has to move |
| Overnight | Free, no limit | Free, no limit |
Paying by app adds a fee. When the City Council chose IPS Group Inc. as its new mobile-payment vendor, the Daily Pilot reported that each paid parking transaction will carry a $0.50 fee passed on to the driver.
The hourly rate could also change by season. A proposed 2026–2030 rate schedule presented to the City Council in September 2025 listed non-downtown parking at $3.95 in summer and $3.50 in the off-season. A pilot-specific off-season rate has not been announced.
For comparison, the city's listing for Lot 22 at Aliso Beach, 31131 Coast Highway, shows $3.50 an hour with an eight-hour limit. The Daily Pilot reported on Oct. 9 that the lot was closed after storm surf.
The free options that remain
Parking revenue is meant to keep a free alternative running. A staff report cited by the Daily Pilot says the money helps fund a free trolley connecting residents and visitors to free and low-cost parking. Three free options matter most for South Laguna:
- Mission Hospital Lot 19, 31872 Coast Highway. The city lists it as free after 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. At the Commission hearing, a resident said the lot is about 800 feet from the Thousand Steps neighborhood and asked for better signage pointing beachgoers to it.
- The Coastal Route trolley. The off-season Coastal Route is free and runs on Coast Highway from North Laguna and Heisler Park through downtown and South Laguna, past Mission Hospital, to the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point. The city lists the off-season period as Sept. 8, 2026 through June 25, 2027.
- Laguna Local. This free, on-demand shared-ride service links the city's residential neighborhoods with major activity centers. Rides can be booked through the Laguna Beach Transit app or by phone.
These options matter more under a time limit than under a meter. A guest who arrives on 10th Avenue for a long afternoon can't stay in a free marked space past five hours during enforcement. Lot 19 on a weekend or a trolley ride from somewhere else has no clock.
What still has no date
As of the end of October, several parts of the pilot are still open:
- Installation. The permits allow 22 multi-space pay stations. City Manager Dave Kiff said the schedule depends on when the pay stations are available and on the city's switch to a new mobile parking app provider. No start date has been announced.
- The new app. On July 21, the City Council approved a five-year mobile-payment agreement with IPS Group Inc., as Stu News Laguna reported. According to the Daily Pilot, the San Diego-based company's deal combines meter operations and mobile payment in one contract. At the time, Kiff said the app would take "a handful of months" to launch. The city's parking page still points drivers to the current Laguna Beach Parking App.
- Ways to pay. Coastal program analyst Jeffrey Palm told the Commission the pay stations can take cash, credit cards or mobile payment, so spotty cell service won't keep anyone from paying.
- Which spaces are paid. The public counts give totals of 237 metered and 264 free. They don't show which side of which block will be which.
- The one-year review. After the pilot year, the city can evaluate the program, adjust it if needed, and approve a new permit to make it more permanent.
Hart's comment set up that review. She said the city should stay "on top of" how the time limit affects residents during the pilot year. The first season with paint on the curb will show how five hours works in practice on 9th Avenue, Eagle Rock Way and the blocks above West Street.
This post is general information about a city program, not legal advice. Check posted signs and the City of Laguna Beach's official notices for the rules on your block.
Parking rules on a street are part of how a South Laguna home works day to day, especially near Thousand Steps and the Coast Highway access points. If you'd like to talk through how the pilot affects a particular street or property, Trey Dewey is glad to go over the details with you. Let's Connect.
