Most lots have either parking meters or gates and attendants. I don't know where you are from. In Dallas, the downtown lots closest to the center (expensive)

Most lots have either parking meters or gates and attendants. I don't know where you are from. In Dallas, the downtown lots closest to the center (expensive) had gates and attendants. Further out (cheaper) were lots where you slid cash into a slot matching one's stall number: a guy came around on a regular basis to collect the cash, but he wasn't stationed in the lot. YMMV.