This reminder comes to us via the City of Santa Monica.
A city of Santa Monica parking program, which permitted vehicles displaying a California Department of Motor Vehicles’ Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decal to park free of charge at city-operated meters for the posted time limit, will expire on September 30, 2025, pursuant to Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 3.16.120.
Beginning Oct. 1, drivers displaying the CAV decal will be required to pay posted rates when parking at metered spaces within the city.
Originally developed in 2002, the city’s CAV decal program served as an enhanced incentive for the use of low and no emission vehicles. As the number of clean air vehicles on the road continues to grow across the region, the need for the incentive has declined.
Similar parking programs available in cities such as San Jose, Sacramento and Hermosa Beach have long since phased out their CAV parking benefits. Santa Monica remained one of the last few cities to continue to offer the program.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles’ Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) program, which has allowed solo drivers in vehicles displaying CAV decals to drive in High Occupancy Vehicle, or HOV, lanes, is also set to expire Sept. 30, 2025.
For more information, read the staff report here.
