Sacramento County supervisors to consider parking rate increases at SMF
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Parking at Sacramento International Airport could become more expensive when a new parking garage opens later this year.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on proposed increases across the airport’s parking system. The plan includes a one-time market-rate adjustment of as much as $7, according to a county staff report.
Under the proposal, the maximum daily rate for garage parking would increase from $21 to $28. Rates for the airport’s daily and economy lots would also rise.
County officials said the changes would bring parking prices closer to market rates after they failed to keep pace with inflation. Additional increases of $1 per year are proposed beginning in 2028.
The initial increases would take effect when the airport’s new garage opens. The facility is expected to add about 5,500 parking spaces near the terminals.
Some travelers said they welcome the additional capacity but object to paying more for parking they already consider difficult and inconvenient.
“Parking has been horrible for me,” traveler Latreasa Barbour said. “I want to park close, and there’s nowhere to park, but they want to charge all this money.”
Traveler Sharon Robertson said parking at the airport is “drama” every time she visits. She also questioned whether the proposed rates would serve the public.
“I don’t think that’s doing a service to the public,” Robertson said. “We really need affordable parking.”
Robertson said travelers using economy lots can face long waits for crowded shuttle buses. Barbour said she had previously been forced to park far from the terminal because closer spaces were unavailable.
Janeen Little said she is hopeful the new garage will improve availability but is not convinced it will solve the airport’s parking problems.
“I’m hopeful but not optimistic,” Little said.
Little also rejected comparisons between SMF’s rates and those charged at larger California airports.
“It’s Sacramento. It’s not San Francisco. It’s not Los Angeles,” Little said. “The service has to be commensurate with the price increase.”
The proposal would also establish rates for a new parking reservation system. Reserved parking would cost between $20 and $34 per day, depending on the lot, with garage reservations carrying the highest rates.
If supervisors approve the plan, the one-time adjustment would take effect when the new garage opens this fall.
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