San Jose Downtown Association San Jose Downtown Parking

Information for Businesses

Free and Discounted Parking Incentives

Download information Sheet

Businesses that ink new leases downtown will receive free parking, while current businesses extending leases will get half-price parking for a maximum of two years.  The program,
unveiled March 16, 2010 includes:

  • FREE parking in City garages and lots for new businesses that enter into a
    lease in a downtown office or commercial retail building, for up to two years.
  • FREE parking for downtown businesses that are extending leases and planning to relocate cars from a privately owned garage or lot into a City parking facility.
  • 50 percent discount for businesses located downtown parking in City facilities and extending their existing leases.  Normal $100 rate discounted to $50 per month. 
  • FREE and discounted parking will be provided for half the term of a new lease or half the extended period of a lease.  Maximum of 50 parking permits per business.

A 500-space total applies to existing businesses wanting to take advantage of the parking incentives.

Click here for the application.  Then:

  1. Print it out
  2. Fill it out
  3. Scan it as PDF
  4. Send the completed PDF to Elias Khoury, with the City’s Department of Transportation, elias.khoury@sanjoseca.gov.

The City also has 50 percent discounted parking programs for Software and Environmental Businesses, up to two years, and no lease required

The City offers 25 percent discounted parking to businesses with 5 to 300 employees new to downtown in Class B or Class C buildings.

Call 975-3707 if you have questions on any of the incentive programs.

Validation Program Simplified for Businesses

Retail stores, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, plus recreational, personal and
social service providers can offer parking validation at a reduced cost to the business and
substantial discounts to your customers.  All other businesses
can validate for their customers, but at full cost.

Participating public garages include:

  • Market and San Pedro Square Garage (E)
  • Third Street Garage (E)
  • Third / Santa Clara Garage
  • Fourth Street Garage (E)
  • Second and San Carlos Street Garage (E)
  • Central Place Garage
  • Convention Center Garage

Customers at all the garages receive up to two hours of FREE Parking when validated. 
For those garages above involved in the Enhanced Validation Program, customers at night
and on weekends can receive up to 12 to 24 hours FREE parking with Validations.

Download the information, application forms and tools you need to get started in the
Downtown Parking Validation Program:

All Businesses

Retail Businesses

Non-Retail Businesses

High-volume businesses - The City has machines available that validate customers’

parking tickets.  They are easy to use, and businesses are billed monthly for the validations
used.  Businesses benefit by:

  • Saving time managing large inventories of tickets;
  • Paying for validations their customers actually use.

Coming Up - A rose-colored validation coupon will simplify FREE parking for customers
and businesses and be good for all downtown validation purposes.

For now, all existing validation coupons provide the same benefits.

Questions?  Contact Elias Khoury at 975-3707 or Matt Farrell at 975-3714.