New fees go into effect for Cobb County parking on Marietta square

File photo: Downtown Marietta. Visitors to the square will pay more to park after a private company takes over operations of two county-owned parking decks.

File photo: Downtown Marietta. Visitors to the square will pay more to park after a private company takes over operations of two county-owned parking decks.

Starting Monday, parking in two county-owned decks off Marietta Square will be more restricted and expensive to members of the public.

The county voted to privatize operations at the deck earlier this year after losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on the facilities. Commissioners awarded the contract to LAZ Parking, which runs parking lots throughout the metro area.

Now, the Cobb-Waddell parking deck attached to the 100 Cherokee Street government building will be reserved for county employees from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. It will open to the public after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

The Lawrence Street deck near the courthouse will be open to public parking all the time.

A new fee scale is also going into effect.

  • The first 30 minutes will remain free to park.
  • Thirty to 60 minutes: $2
  • 1-2 hours: $4
  • 3 hours: $6
  • 4-6 hours: $7
  • 6 or more hours: $8

The decks, next to the county government building and courthouse, have been losing money since 2012. They cost $11 million to build and the county continues to pay $750,000 a year on the debt, but the lots have only brought in about half that.