[Published Nov. 2018; Updated Nov. 12, 2020]

It is important to enter information correctly and completely. Here are five tips to help you purchase a permit in the online system.  

1. Link your vehicle(s) to your parking permit

Did you know that adding your license plate information in your account does not automatically associate your vehicle with your parking permit? To avoid getting a parking citation, you must link your vehicle information to your parking permit for each vehicle you add. Please also be sure to update your license plate information if you had a temporary/dealer plate with a new car.

To link your vehicle(s) to your active parking permit, please complete the following steps:

1. Login and click on “My Account.”

2. Select the “Permits” tab.

3. Select the permit that you want to associate with your vehicle and click the “+” sign on the right.

4. Select the vehicle you wish to add to the permit, or enter in a new vehicle in the “Add Vehicle” window. You can find and select all your previously entered vehicles under the “Vehicles” menu.

5. Click “Save” when you have finished entering the information

For more information, visit our “How to Associate Vehicle Information with an Existing Permit” guide.

2. Enter your license plate without the special characters

Please enter the letters and numbers of your license plate in the 'Plate' field when adding a vehicle to your account. Do not insert any special characters, spaces, or half-spaces when doing so. License plate recognition systems are unable to read special characters/symbols. For example, if your license plate has a special character and there are three letters on each side, please only enter the six letters in a row with no spaces.

We also recommend that you add your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) in the 'VIN' field.

3. Confirm the accuracy of your license plate 

Once you have entered in your license plate, please double check that the information you have entered is correct. For example, did you enter a zero when the information is actually the letter ‘O’?

Please note that the standard layout for California license plates is a number, letter, letter, letter, number, number, number. This will help you avoid parking citations, since your correct license plate will be associated with your parking permit.

Vehicles awaiting permanent plates - Enter the temporary number. If unavailable, enter the last 8 characters of the VIN. IMPORTANT: Update with the permanent number once you have it.

4. Ensure your permit is valid for the correct duration

To find the Effective and/or Expiration dates of your permits, please follow these steps:

1. Log in to the parking permit portal.

2. Click on “My Account.”

3. Click on the “Permits” tab.

Under “Permits” you will be able to see all of your current or future parking permits. This will also indicate when your permit(s) will expire and when they become (or became) active. Knowing when your permit is valid will help ensure your permit is valid for the correct time period and avoid getting a parking citation.

If you wish to see a record of your previous permits, you can click on the “circular clock” symbol to the right of the “Purchase” button.

5. Complete all required steps when purchasing a permit

To complete your order you must do the following:

1. Click "Checkout" to complete your order.

2. Pay by either "Credit Card" or "Payroll."

3. Review your final order details and complete your payment.

   • If you are paying by "Credit Card," you will review your order and proceed to the credit card payment site.

   • If you are paying by "Payroll," you will review your final order details and proceed to checkout.

You will automatically receive a copy of your receipt via email once you have completed all these steps.

To review your receipt you can also click "Account Home" to proceed to the customer profile page.

Photo: Chris Gill