The Recreation and Park Commission approved paid parking in February 2025, and the Board of Supervisors authorized the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to set rates that July. The new fees, enforced seven days a week, will range from $1.25 to $4 per hour, with higher charges during peak demand and lower rates during quieter hours.

West of Crossover Drive, parking will cost $2.75 per hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and weekends, and $1.25 per hour from 6 to 10 p.m. East of Crossover Drive, rates will be $3.50 per hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and $4 per hour on weekends during the same hours; evening rates will be $1.50 per hour on weekdays and $2 per hour on weekends. Overnight parking is not permitted.

San Francisco Recreation and Park Department spokesperson Tamara Aparton said the fees will allow the agency "to keep our core services intact despite a budget shortfall." Last year, Mayor Daniel Lurie asked city departments to cut 15% of their budgets, leaving SFRPD with a $15 million annual deficit. Aparton said the revenue will help "fund everything from mowing [and] sports fields to keeping summer camps affordable to keeping pools and rec centers open, as well as free senior programs and maintenance of parks throughout the city."

Visitors can pay at one of 25 pay stations throughout the park or via the ParkMobile or HotSpot apps. Vehicles displaying a valid disabled parking placard or license plate are exempt.

Aparton said park rangers will issue citations for unpaid vehicles "exactly the way SFMTA parking enforcement officers do." The department may also begin using vehicle-mounted mobile license plate readers pending a full vote by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday afternoon, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Citations will cost $107, the same rate enforced for other meter violations outside downtown, and will go directly to the department.

John Grimes, a former president and board member of the SF Lawn Bowling Club, which meets weekly at its historic clubhouse near Robin Williams Meadow, said he understands the need for the fees to ease congestion and improve parking turnover during peak hours. But he worries the costs could add up for members and discourage them from coming.

"If you do the math, a weekly bowler might end up having to pay $350 to $500 or even $1,000 over a year's time just for parking," he said. "Membership in our club is now $175, so if you add that, someone on fixed income is going to go, 'Hmmm, I'm not going to make it this year.'"

Grimes also noted the clubhouse's proximity to the Koret Children's Playground, saying parents transporting children along with strollers and folding wagons could have more difficulty taking the bus instead of driving.

"This can be viewed as a highly regressive tax on drivers to the park," he said. "Without having a place to take their kids, it's counter to the ethos of the park and the spirit of San Francisco."

On Monday, billionaire Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky donated $100 million to the Recreation and Park Department for city park improvements. Grimes said he would like to see some of that donation directed toward the $15 million annual park deficit.

Park officials are encouraging visitors to walk, bike, use ride-hailing apps or take public transit. Muni routes 5/5R Fulton, 7 Haight/Noriega, 28/28R 19th Avenue, 29 Sunset, 33 Ashbury/18th Street and 44 O'Shaughnessy all have stops bordering the park. A free Golden Gate Park shuttle is also available.