Eureka Launches Passport Mobile Parking App Downtown April 1

The parking lot behind Lost Coast Brewery is about to get a lot quieter when it comes to coin-hunting. The City of Eureka will begin a new parking management program using the Passport Parking mobile app on April 1, 2026, in certain Downtown and Old Town parking lots. Traditional meters are out; smartphones are in.

The new program is part of the City's effort to better manage parking resources, implementing recommendations from the 2022 Old Town & Downtown Parking Study, which identified the need to modernize parking management and improve parking turnover in high-demand areas so customers and visitors can more easily find parking near businesses.

Parking in participating lots will cost $1.10 per hour and will be enforced from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Sundays and holidays will not be metered. A Passport transaction fee of 35 cents per transaction will also apply; existing employee and tenant permits, currently $50 per year, would be integrated by vehicle plate so permitted vehicles are not ticketed.

Project manager Jay Wartelboer told the City Council that the city will add 12 monitored off-street lots and continue several free lots along Waterfront Drive and adjacent to the Adorni Center. A map of all designated lots is available on the City's Passport Parking Program page at eurekaca.gov so drivers can confirm which lots require the app before arriving.

This is the same system currently used by Cal Poly Humboldt for its public parking. The Passport Parking system is designed to make parking easier and more flexible for users: drivers will be able to start a parking session directly from their phone, receive reminders before their time expires, and extend parking time remotely without needing to return to their vehicle.

Getting started takes a few steps. After parking in a designated lot, locate the zone number posted on signage within the lot and enter it into the Passport app. Select the amount of time needed, confirm payment, and the session begins. The app is available as a free download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

City staff presented the expansion plan to the council on Sept. 24, 2025; the council did not vote to finalize a contract at that meeting but discussed timeline, enforcement, permit integration, and revenue uses. Council members asked that staff coordinate outreach with local business groups, Eureka Main Street and the Henderson Center, ahead of rollout, and noted the ability to adjust rates and operational hours by lot. The City subsequently set April 1 as the launch date in its public notice.

Council members asked about projected revenue and how revenues would be used; staff said initial revenues will support deferred lot maintenance, enforcement staffing and parking operations, and could be earmarked for parking improvements.

Anyone who regularly parks in Old Town or Downtown should download the Passport app and review the lot map before April 1 to avoid a ticket on the first metered Tuesday morning.