Salinas, CA lies in Monterey County and is the most populated city in the county. Because of this, parking can be incredibly difficult to find. While expensive parking always seems to be available in ample amounts, free and cheap parking is more difficult to find if you don’t know where to look. That’s why this article was written – so that you are prepared the next time you go to Salinas and you’ll be the proud finder of a free or cheap parking spot for your vehicle!
What to Know about Free Parking in Salinas, CA
When parking for free in Salinas, CA there are a few “rules” to keep in mind since much of the free and cheap parking is in residential areas:
- Prioritize being respectful to residents and their space – you are leaving your vehicle with them
- Ensure that you don’t park in front of someone’s driveway
- Avoid parking in front of entrances and/or doorways
- Do what you can to park as close as you can to the curb
- Make sure not to double park
- Lock your car before leaving it – you don’t want your car broken into!
- Check if there are any parking signs before leaving your vehicle (some indicate time and parking restrictions)
Where to Park for Free in Salinas, CA
Salinas is a city with quite the population located in a very popular county for tourists to visit, making it doubly hard to find parking easily. Let alone free parking!
Free parking is a hot commodity in Salinas, CA precisely because it’s so rare. So when checking out the following streets, make sure to be aware of street signs. Many signs will indicate what the restrictions are to your parking – whether there’s free parking only after a certain time, or for a certain amount of time, or if it’s completely free on weekends.
Generally, free parking in Salinas, CA is for 1.5 hours. After that, you may want to move your car to a new free parking spot. However, there are also parking spots with different time limits and restrictions, ranging from 1 hour to 4 hours.
In the table, each free parking spot location is measured in distance from a central location, which in this case is the Fox Theater.
Is there free parking in Salinas, CA? Yes, you can park for free in Salinas, CA at the following locations:
- 357 N. Main St.
- 2 W. Gabilan St.
- 7 E. Gabilan St.
- 499 W. Alisal St.
- 111 W. San Luis St.
- 300 Lincoln Ave.
- 282 Monterey St.
- 248 Salinas St.
- 149 W. Market St.
- 16 Station Pl.
| Street Name/Address | Walking distance from Fox Theater in mins. |
| 357 N. Main St. | 16 min. |
| 2 W. Gabilan St. | 2 min. |
| 7 E. Gabilan St. | 2 min. |
| 499 W. Alisal St. | 17 min. |
| 111 W. San Luis St. | 8 min. |
| 300 Lincoln Ave. | 5 min. |
| 282 Monterey St. | 4 min. |
| 248 Salinas St. | 4 min. |
| 149 W. Market St. | 12 min. |
| 16 Station Pl. | 10 min. |
Where to Find Free Lot Parking in Salinas, CA
Sometimes street parking fills up, or you simply don’t have the time to round the block ten times waiting for someone to leave their spot. This is when lot parking or garage parking comes in handy. Sometimes that can get expensive, so we have compiled a list of various parking or garages that are free.
Lot and garage parking can come with valets or without. In Salinas, CA there are many parking garages that offer free parking for a short period of time and then ask you to pay for additional time spent parking there. Garages usually offer 2 hours of free parking in Salinas, CA.
The benefit of using parking lots or garages is that you often can park there for longer than you can on the streets. Plus due to the larger amount of spots, it’s easier to find a parking spot. When under time pressure choose a garage with more spots and you’ll be more likely to find one.
If you need to park for longer than 2 hours but don’t necessarily want to pay the extra money, then you can always move from one parking spot to another or go to another parking garage close by, since there are several free parking garages on the same street.
Is there free lot parking in Salinas, CA? You can find free lot parking at the following locations in Salinas, CA:
- 300 Monterey St.
- 320 Salinas St.
- 339 Salinas St.
- 205 Monterey St.
- 219 Salinas St.
- 208 Salinas St.
- 239 Capitol St.
- 99 Station Pl.
- 11 Station Pl.
- 411 Central Ave.
| Name of Street | Walking Distance from Fox Theater in mins | Number of spots |
| 320 Salinas St. | 5 min. | 252 |
| 339 Salinas St. | 4 min. | 73 |
| 300 Monterey St. | 4 min. | 144 |
| 205 Monterey St. | 4 min. | 79 |
| 219 Salinas St. | 4 min. | 49 |
| 208 Salinas St. | 4 min. | 48 |
| 239 Capitol St. | 9 min. | N/A |
| 99 Station Pl. | 9 min. | 105 |
| 11 Station Pl. | 10 min. | 13 |
| 411 Central Ave. | 18 min. | N/A |
Hopefully, this article helped you prepare for your next trip to Salinas, CA, and helps you save money at least on parking and time as well!
Related questions:
Is there overnight parking in Salinas, CA?
There are places in Salinas you can park overnight. There are several options like there are places where you can park for 72 hours, which includes overnight, or you can park and pay for up to a month as well.
How do you get a parking permit for Salinas, CA?
In order to get a parking permit, you must first fill out a form available on the website of the city of Salinas and then send it with a check to the city. However, only residents can apply for parking permits in Salinas, CA.
How do you pay for your parking ticket in Salinas, CA?
Simply send payment to the City of Salinas, or pay them online.
