The Manhattan Beach City Council has approved new parking meter rates that would be higher during the summer season, with increases of between $0.50 and $1 per hour. The council also improved increases in parking citation fees. All new rates will take effect as of August 1. 

The new rates are as follows: 

• Summer months (May through August) 

  • North Manhattan Beach and Downtown Street Parking - $3.50/hour (up from $2.50)

  • Beach Lots - $4/hour (up from $3.50)

  • Non-Beach Lots - $3/hour (up from $2.50)

  • Non North Manhattan Beach and Downtown Street Parking $3/hour (up from $2.50)

• Off-peak months (September through April)

  • North Manhattan Beach and Downtown Street Parking - $3/hour (up from $2.50)

  • Beach Lots - $3.50/hour (no change)

  • Non-Beach Lots – North MB $2.50/hour (same) & DT $2/hour (down from $2.50)

  • Non North Manhattan Beach and Downtown Street Parking $2.50/hour (no change)

City staff reported that even with rates last updated in 2025, Manhattan Beach’s existing parking meter rates of $2.50 - $3.50 are low in comparison to other cities. Since last year, two cities have adjusted rates (Hermosa Beach and Newport Beach), and many cities have adopted rates that vary by lot/location and season.

The new rates are projected to bring in an additional $916,447 in fiscal 2027. That revenue is expected to provide funding for increased operational costs, unfunded infrastructure needs, and new future debt service payments related to the Lot 3 parking structure replacement. 

The city's Project Pulse, which combines redevelopment of Lot 3 and 400 Manhattan Beach Blvd., is currently underway, with a community meeting to be held on July 15. These projects are expected to result in critical replacement of parking in downtown Manhattan Beach. If 145 parking spaces from Lot 3 are replaced with a new parking structure, construction costs are estimated between $10.2 and $21.0 million. (The average cost of construction per parking space is $70,000 for above-ground parking or $145,000 for subterranean parking.) Based on estimated construction costs, debt service payments could be in the range of $600,000 to $1.4 million per year.

City Council members declined to accept a proposal to have automatic annual increases in city parking rates. 

At the same meeting, City Council members approved a resolution to increase parking citations by $6 to a new average of $65. City staff told councilmembers that the new rate aligns with the average marking rate for parking citations. Manhattan Beach's previous citation rate of $59 was lower than that of six other comparison cities. (Redondo Beach is the highest among the comparison cities with an average parking citation fee of $79.)