Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described for managing sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions in shared radio frequency spectrum. Described techniques provide for increased occasions at which a SRS may be transmitted, enhance likelihood of a successful listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure, or any combinations thereof. Increased occasions for SRS may be provided through multiple transmission times that are available in the event of an earlier LBT failure. Enhanced likelihood of successful LBT may be provided through one or more timing offsets that may be randomly selected from a set of available timing offsets, selection of a cyclic prefix length for a SRS based on whether the SRS transmission is within or outside of a channel occupancy time of a base station, providing an initial SRS transmission time for an initial periodic time interval, triggering of an aperiodic SRS within the channel occupancy time, or any combinations thereof.