Santa Monica Beach Parking

Santa Monica State Beach is lined with 13 City-run parking lots along Pacific Coast Highway, Appian Way, Ocean Avenue and Barnard Way. The closest lot to the Santa Monica Pier is Beach Lot 1 North at 1550 Pacific Coast Highway, where a summer day costs $20. The northern lots and the two southern lots cost $12 on summer weekdays and $15 on weekends. Rates drop from November to March.

Which Lot to Use

The City lists these beach lots, north to south. Pick the one nearest the part of the beach you want.

• Annenberg Community Beach House lot, 415 Pacific Coast Highway, for the Beach House, its pool and the north beach. See Annenberg Beach House.
• Lot 9 North, 530 Pacific Coast Highway, and Lot 8 North, 810 Pacific Coast Highway, a short walk south of the Beach House.
• Lots 7 North, 6 North, 5A North, 5 North and 4 North, 930 to 1060 Pacific Coast Highway, below the Palisades bluffs.
• Lot 3 North, 1150 Pacific Coast Highway.
• Lot 1 North, 1550 Pacific Coast Highway (the Pier Corporation gives 1550 Appian Way as the address to use). Right beside the Pier, with accessible spaces near the public elevator.
• Lot 1 South (short-term), 1640 Appian Way, at the ramps on the east side of the Pier.
• Lots 2 South and 3 South, 1670 and 1750 Appian Way, south of the Pier.
• Lot 4 South, 2030 Ocean Avenue at Bicknell.
• Lot 5 South, 2701 Barnard Way, near the Venice border.

What Parking Costs

The City reset beach parking rates on January 12, 2026. Its pricing table splits the lots into zones. Summer means April to October; winter means November to March.

Central beach zone (Lots 1 North to 3 North and 1 South to 3 South)

• Summer: $20 a day, weekdays and weekends.
• Winter: $8 a day on weekdays, $12 on weekends.
• Short-term lots: $3 an hour in summer, $2 an hour in winter.

Southern beach zone (Lots 4 South and 5 South)

• Summer: $12 on weekdays, $15 on weekends.
• Winter: $7 on weekdays, $10 on weekends.

Northern beach zone (Lots 4 North to 9 North)

• Summer: $12 on weekdays, $15 on weekends.
• Winter: $8 on weekdays, $12 on weekends.

Annenberg Beach House lot: $4 an hour, or $15 a day from April to October and $10 a day from November to March.

With a current disabled placard or plates, beach lots charge half the posted rate. The rates are posted at each lot entrance, and the posted rate is the one that applies.

Santa Monica Pier Parking

The Pier deck, the parking on the Pier itself, charges by the hour: $4.25 an hour in summer, with a daily cap of $20 on weekdays and $22 on weekends. The Pier Corporation says the deck is open Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., while the Pier Bridge is rebuilt, so on weekends plan on a beach lot.

For the Pier, the Pier Corporation points drivers to Lot 1 North, the Downtown Santa Monica public parking structures, or Lot 4 South at Bicknell and Ocean.

Driving In

From the 10 Freeway (westbound): take exit 1A for 4th and 5th Streets, turn right on 4th Street, left on Colorado Avenue and left on Ocean Avenue. Turn right on Seaside Terrace, then right on Appian Way to reach Lot 1 North.

From Pacific Coast Highway (southbound): stay in the far right lane as other traffic moves left into the McClure Tunnel. That lane leads straight into Lot 1 North.

The Pier Bridge is being replaced, so expect detours and lane closures near Ocean and Colorado until the project ends.

Rideshare, Train and Bus

• Rideshare: set the drop-off to 1550 Appian Way. You land by the beach, away from Ocean Avenue traffic, and can take stairs or ramps up to the Pier.
• Metro E Line (formerly the Expo Line): trains run from downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Santa Monica Station at 4th and Colorado, about 46 minutes. From there it is roughly a 10-minute walk west on Colorado to the Pier.
• Bus: Metro bus 534 stops at Colorado and Ocean.
• Bike: the beach bike path runs past every lot, and bikes are allowed on the Pier.

Tips From the Lot Pages

• Lot 1 North stays open late, 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Most other beach lots close at 9 p.m.
• The City's lot pages show live occupancy ("40% Full"), which is the quickest way to see where space is left on a busy day.
• Accessible parking: Lot 1 North spaces sit near the public elevator at 301 Santa Monica Pier, which is open during that restaurant's hours. Lot 1 South spaces are near the wheelchair ramps on the east side of the Pier.