Parking Warnings Plaster Cars As Changes Begin In Downtown Sacramento

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Starting Sept. 1, drivers not paying for parking downtown after 6 p.m. will get warning. But in 30 days, that warning will turn into a ticket for drivers who don't pay to park until 10 p.m.

"I guess it's a warning, cause they changed the parking to 10 pm instead of 6 p.m.," said Katrina Diaz, who works on J Street.

Just around 8 o'clock, Diaz found a little surprise on her windshield: a warning for parking in a 10 p.m. zone.

"I talked to the guy that put this out and he said that they're going to be doing this for a few days and then ticket everybody," Diaz said.

Drivers have a 30-day grace period for drivers to adjust to the new hours.

"It's good but you know what a month is not enough time," said Steve Savage

Steve Savage lives in Woodland and he said he's only in Sacramento a few times a month and likely won't remember where the extended hours are in effect.

"Who knows where these boundaries are?" Savage said. "I mean I don't know!"

From Front Street to the west side of 16th Street, the meters are active until 10 p.m. And from the east side of 16th to the east side of 19th, they're active until 8 p.m.

"I looked at the sign and I looked at the bank of meters and they were all flashing red and I just hoped for the best," Savage said.

But the new signs extending the paid period to 8 or 10 p.m. have already gone up. Still, even with a warning, some Sacramento night-owls don't like the new policy.

"Pushing it out until 10 is kind of not so good for everybody that likes to come out and spend money in midtown," said. Taylor Venn.

"I think it's a little excessive," said Jonathan Sivers. "I feel like if I'm a business I would want to encourage people to come to my place after work."

Luckily, there's still time to learn the new time limits. And for Diaz, at least she didn't have to pay the fine this time.

"Yeah, I was excited because I was like I'm not getting a ticket and he was like 'no it's just a warning,'" she said.

Starting Oct. 1, parking enforcement will be issuing citations in the new time limit zones.