Paid parking in downtown New Braunfels to start in July

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas - The New Braunfels City Council has approved officially establishing paid parking areas and fees in downtown New Braunfels beginning in July.

The backstory:

In March 2025, New Braunfels City Council approved entering into a contract with Interstate Parking to be the City’s parking management company for both Downtown New Braunfels and the City's river parks. 

The river parking management portion of that contract officially launched on April 1st, allowing New Braunfels residents to register for their free Resident River Parking Permits online.

At their meeting on May 27, the city council approved amending the downtown parking ordinance to officially establish paid parking areas and fees in downtown New Braunfels beginning July 7th, 2025.

Why you should care:

The changes to the downtown parking system create zones of both free and paid parking options for on-street parking and off-street parking lots. 

Officials say the goal is to help alleviate congestion and free up parking spaces in high-demand areas. 

By the numbers:

Approximately one third (or 238 parking spaces) of the existing 750 on-street parking spaces downtown are being moved into the paid parking program. 

Under the newly revised ordinance, those on-street parking spaces will transition from what are currently 2-hour parking zones to a digital paid parking system where the first hour of parking is free.

Each additional hour after the first hour will cost $2 per hour, with a maximum fee of $10 per day (plus processing fees), and parking fees will be enforced 7 days a week, from 10am to 10pm.

What You Will Need To Do:

Instead of payment kiosks or meters, drivers will scan a QR code with their smartphone to access Interstate Parking’s secure digital payment platform where they will be prompted to enter their contact information, license plate number, and payment information. 

Pay-by-Text and Pay-by-Phone options will also be available. 

Disabled veterans displaying official state-issued license plates would be exempt from parking fees. 

As part of their contract, Interstate Parking is providing Parking Ambassadors to help drivers find available parking, assist with payments, and monitor parking spaces for violations. 

Interstate Parking has also opened a physical office in the downtown area, which is temporarily located at 162 South Seguin Ave.

What you can do:

For more information about the changes you can go here.