Menlo Park Downtown Parking Plazas (Chestnut St)

How it is free

• Free for anyone (up to 3 hr)

  City-owned downtown parking plazas off Chestnut St are free for anyone, posted 3-hour limit. Adjacent on-street parking is free up to 90 minutes. Some stalls inside the plazas are reserved permit-only long-term parking, but general-public 3-hour free parking is available.

Details

City-owned downtown parking plazas off Chestnut St give anyone up to 3 hours free (posted limit, ticketed if you overstay), and adjacent on-street parking is free up to 90 minutes. Free status is current as of 2026 with no paid meters implemented, though some plaza stalls are permit-only long-term and the city has an ongoing parking management study plus a Nov 2026 ballot measure about these lots.

More free & effectively-free parking nearby

• Baker Beach Parking Lot
• Blue Heron Lake (Stow Lake) Parking
• Bryant/Lytton Garage (S/L)
• California Avenue Parking Garage (Lot 7 - 350 Sherman Garage)
• Central Garage
• China Beach Parking Lot
• Civic Center Garage (CC)
• Coit Tower parking lot
• Cowper/Hamilton Lot (H)
• Crissy Field East Beach Lot
• Downtown Parking Structure (California St & Bryant St)
• Downtown Parking Structure 1 (Bryant & California)

FAQ