Palm Springs, CA Local Taxes & Fees: Parking Tax (2026)
Key Facts
- Tax rate
- 25% of parking rent, capped at 25c/vehicle/day
- First hour
- Exempt from tax
- Monthly filing deadline
- 20th of the following month
- Late penalty
- 10% penalty plus 1% monthly interest
- Operator registration
- Required within 15 days of tax start
- Enforcing office
- City Finance Director
- Excluded
- Street meter zones under Sec. 5.38.040
Summary
Palm Springs taxes paid parking in commercial parking stations at 25% of the rent charged, capped at 25 cents per vehicle per day or 10% of a monthly rate. The first hour of any stay is tax-free. Lot operators, not the city, collect the tax from occupants and remit it monthly to the Finance Director under Municipal Code Chapter 3.34.
There is imposed a tax of twenty-five percent of the rent for every occupancy of parking space in a parking station in the city; provided, however, that no occupant shall pay a tax exceeding the sum of twenty-five cents per vehicle per day, or ten percent of the monthly charge where the charge is made on a monthly basis for occupying and parking station pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, nor shall any tax be imposed for the first hour of any continuous period of occupancy of a parking space. ... Any person who fails to pay any tax to the city or any amount of tax required to be collected and paid to the city, except amounts of determinations made by the finance director pursuant hereto, within the time required, shall pay a penalty of ten percent of the tax plus interest at the rate of one percent per month, or fraction thereof, from the date on which the tax required to be collected became due and payable to the city until the date of payment.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4923139; v14 updated 2026-06-24).
Full Breakdown
040 are expressly excluded, so curb meters are untaxed. 010 sets the rate at 25% of rent, with two caps: no more than 25 cents per vehicle per day, or 10% of the charge on a monthly space, and the first hour of continuous occupancy is always exempt. 030 the operator collects it at payment and must give a receipt on request; if an operator fails to collect, liability shifts to the operator. 040). 090). 160). 210).
Violations & Fines
An operator who fails to register within 15 days of the tax's start, refuses to collect the tax, files a false or fraudulent report, or otherwise violates Chapter 3.34 is punishable under Municipal Code Sections 1.01.140 and 1.01.150, the city's general penalty provisions. Unpaid tax draws a 10% penalty plus 1% monthly interest under Section 3.34.150, and the Finance Director can issue a deficiency determination based on any information available if no return is filed, adding an additional 10% penalty to the estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Palm Springs parking tax apply to street meters?
How much is the Palm Springs parking tax?
Who actually pays and collects the tax?
What happens if an operator misses the filing deadline?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Springs
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