Non-San Marcos residents will be required to pay parking fees at City Park starting July 1. 

According to the city of San Marcos, there are 268 spots at City Park. Park hours are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and overnight parking is not allowed. 

Here is the parking fee breakdown: 

• City of San Marcos residents: Free
• First 30 minutes: Free
• Up to 1 hour: $5
• Up to 2 hours: $10
• More than 3 hours or all day: $15
• Special events (Texas State hosted events): $25 flat fee
• Holidays: $25 flat fee
  • Memorial Day weekend (Friday-Monday)
  • Independence Day weekend (Friday-Monday)
  • Labor Day weekend (Friday-Monday)

This will provide funding support for managing riverfront park operations and parking lot maintenance. 

If a river goer is a San Marcos resident, they can register up to five vehicles per address. If their vehicle is not registered prior to entering the park, they will be required to pay. 

There will be two ways to pay for parking. First, there will be on-site payment kiosks that accept both cash and credit cards. Second, the PaybyPhone app will allow people to start and extend their parking sessions remotely. To complete their transaction, they must enter their license plate number as the system will use license plate recognition to verify payment. 

LPR technology is a software that uses cameras to scan and identify license plates. If someone is not registered with the city and they enter the parking lot, their license plate will be automatically scanned and the parking time will begin. After 30 minutes, payment will be required in order for the parking gate to raise. 

According to the city of San Marcos, if Texas State students are caught parking at City Park and leaving to access Sewell or other areas of campus, they may be issued a parking violation. 

Residents looking to get a permit must create an account for each vehicle and upload an acceptable proof of city address such as a driver’s license or San Marcos utilities statement. Once approved, the permit will be valid for three years from date of issuance. 

Currently, the city is working to streamline the registration process and add a feature to allow multiple vehicles to be registered under one account. 

The city will offer three registration events this month at the San Marcos Activity Center to help individuals register their vehicles. 

San Marcos City Council is also deliberating adding entry fees to Rio Vista Park, but it will next be discussed in July. Currently, Rio Vista Park added temporary fences and access points to enter and exit the park. The fences will be up until Labor Day weekend.