Manhattan Beach Will Remove Parking Meters, Go Mobile
Mar 06, 2026 08:52AM ● By MB News Staff
Photo by Eric Demarcq, used by permission. ParkMobile added by MB News.
This fall, Manhattan Beach will modernize payment for parking citywide by eliminating parking meters, switching over to kiosks and mobile-pay systems operated by a vendor, ParkMobile.
Don't worry, free parking will still be offered in key business areas during the holiday season.
As part of the transition, some 1,275 parking meters and 12 kiosks will be removed, replaced by just 130-140 new kiosks. The vast majority of parkers will pay using mobile devices.
The new plan was approved at a Manhattan Beach City Council meeting last month. Parking fees are a source of considerable revenue for the city, and there is some expectation that the new system could bring in even more money.
The city's current budget projects parking meter revenues of $4.5 million during the fiscal year, with up to $1 million more from "revenue enhancement" measures. Parking citations are expected to bring in almost $2.4 million, with up to $350,000 more from enhanced enforcement.
A key feature of the new mobile parking system is that each user must pay for their own time – no more getting lucky when pulling into a spot with time left on it. This single feature, "zeroing out" time for spots as soon as they are vacant, could generate $500,000 or more in extra revenue per year.
Every mobile transaction will incur a 35-cent fee on top of the city's parking charge, which some speakers at the meeting found objectionable. There is also a 5-cent fee if a user wants a receipt texted to them.
Not considered at the meeting: a possible reduction in parking violation revenue. The ParkMobile app keeps track of the time left on a parking space, gives warnings and even allows a user to extend their parking time from a mobile device, without returning to the space – provided that the extension is allowable (certain spaces have time maximums per user).
The plan, approved February 17 by a unanimous vote of the council, is significantly less costly than prior projections. An April 2025 presentation from city staff estimated implementation costs at $3.1 million, with annual costs of $475,000.
The actual contract approved with ParkMobile will cost slightly over $895,000 for equipment upfront, with annual costs ranging from $248,000-$290,000. The total "not to exceed" cost is just over $2.4 million for three years, with options to continue for a 4th and 5th year.
A total of $2.9 million of the city's costs for the program were budgeted in the Capital Improvement Plan.
A next step in the parking plan will be selection of a License Plate Reader vendor. Enforcement of overstays will involve reading plates to determine which vehicles do or do not have active parking sessions. ParkMobile was required to demonstrate that their system could integrate with any of the vendors that the city might select for LPR services.
Don't worry, free parking will still be offered in key business areas during the holiday season.
As part of the transition, some 1,275 parking meters and 12 kiosks will be removed, replaced by just 130-140 new kiosks. The vast majority of parkers will pay using mobile devices.
The new plan was approved at a Manhattan Beach City Council meeting last month. Parking fees are a source of considerable revenue for the city, and there is some expectation that the new system could bring in even more money.
The city's current budget projects parking meter revenues of $4.5 million during the fiscal year, with up to $1 million more from "revenue enhancement" measures. Parking citations are expected to bring in almost $2.4 million, with up to $350,000 more from enhanced enforcement.
A key feature of the new mobile parking system is that each user must pay for their own time – no more getting lucky when pulling into a spot with time left on it. This single feature, "zeroing out" time for spots as soon as they are vacant, could generate $500,000 or more in extra revenue per year.
Every mobile transaction will incur a 35-cent fee on top of the city's parking charge, which some speakers at the meeting found objectionable. There is also a 5-cent fee if a user wants a receipt texted to them.
Not considered at the meeting: a possible reduction in parking violation revenue. The ParkMobile app keeps track of the time left on a parking space, gives warnings and even allows a user to extend their parking time from a mobile device, without returning to the space – provided that the extension is allowable (certain spaces have time maximums per user).
The plan, approved February 17 by a unanimous vote of the council, is significantly less costly than prior projections. An April 2025 presentation from city staff estimated implementation costs at $3.1 million, with annual costs of $475,000.
The actual contract approved with ParkMobile will cost slightly over $895,000 for equipment upfront, with annual costs ranging from $248,000-$290,000. The total "not to exceed" cost is just over $2.4 million for three years, with options to continue for a 4th and 5th year.
A total of $2.9 million of the city's costs for the program were budgeted in the Capital Improvement Plan.
A next step in the parking plan will be selection of a License Plate Reader vendor. Enforcement of overstays will involve reading plates to determine which vehicles do or do not have active parking sessions. ParkMobile was required to demonstrate that their system could integrate with any of the vendors that the city might select for LPR services.
