Frequently Asked Questions
Pay parking is in effect seven days per week, including Statutory Holidays:
Monday – Saturday: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Sundays & Holidays: 12:00 am – 8:00 pmPayment can be made by coins, Visa, MasterCard, or American Express.
Note: the machines do not issue change.
Contact: Parking Services
Phone: 604-519-2010
Hours: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm – Monday – FridayTry again. If it still does not work, proceed to the next pay station on the same street.
The 2024 hourly parking rate ranges from $3.25 - $3.75 with a minimum charge of $1.00 for credit card payments, or a minimum cash payment of $0.25. (Includes a $0.25/hr Climate Action Levy).
- Same rates as above.
No, after exceeding the two (2) hour parking time limit, you must move your vehicle.
The parking limit is up to two (2) hours in most areas, except for some 3 hour parking around Douglas College. Please pay careful attention to the signage in the area. A prepay option is available of up to two (2) hours prior to the start of pay parking. See below for more information.
Pay parking is in effect at 12:00PM on Sundays. If you added money at 11:00AM, the first hour (11:00AM to 12:00PM) would be at no charge. If paying for two hours at 11:00AM, the 2 hour limit would start at 12:00PM and expire at 2:00PM.
Coin operated meters
No personal information is collected from the customer unless a parking bylaw offence is committed.
Digital Parking Meters
At a digital parking meter, two types of personal information is collected:
- Credit card details
- Licence plate numbersThese two types of information are not retained together nor with other identifying information that links the information with an individuals name.
Credit card information is encrypted and transmitted to the bank over systems that comply with the PCI standard (Payment Card Industry data security standard). The only information retained in the parking system is card type and the last 4 digits, payment times and amounts.
The licence data remains on the parking meter only for a few minutes after which it is sent to the parking systems administrative software for retention. The data can only be accessed in real time by the enforcement officers at the location of the meter, and after that by the Manager of Parking and system technicians of the administrative software. The administrative software is saved and located in British Columbia. The City only accesses this information in the software to manage complaints and gather statistics on parking in the city, which are both necessary functions for the City’s service.
Licence information is only transferred directly to the City if an offence is committed and a parking ticket issued. If there is no ticket issued, car licence plate numbers are not kept in a City database; they remain only in the parking system administrative software.
Passport Mobile Parking App
For more information, click here.
Monthly Parking Rental
A rental contract is entered into with the City and retained until it expires plus 7 years. The parker’s license plate is entered into the City’s permitting system to allow for enforcement of parking offences.
Street use enforcement and parking officers monitor and enforce sections with the Street and Traffic Bylaw.
Officers respond to Calls for Service from the public through multiple reporting streams.
Officers monitor street use and parking through a variety of methods, some of which include, electronic parking reports, Licence Plate Recognition (LPR), and conventional foot patrols.
License Plate Recognition System (LPR)
What is LPR?
The LPR is a license plate recognition application whereby vehicles observed by cameras taking pictures, have their license plates read, recorded and checked against a pre-loaded data base using pattern recognition software. Peace officers will review and assess all information, correcting for system errors, and controlling the issuing of violation notices. The system is located in either marked City vehicles, which have four (4) cameras mounted on the vehicle, two facing forward and one to each side. The system is run on a laptop mounted in the patrol vehicle with communication using encrypted cellular technology with the City network in real time, or as a static camera at the entrance to the parkade.
Mobile Version
The Parking Services branch runs two vehicles equipped with LPR camera. These vehicles are linked in real time with the City’s system which allows them to automatically verify payment at digital meters, verify the validity of residential permits, and receive notifications of police stolen vehicle lists. The system indicates if a vehicle is in violation and the Bylaw officer confirms the details, and issues the ticket. When a ticket is issued the information is transferred into the City’s Tempest Ticketing application.
Data collected by the LPR system
The data collected by the LPR system is deleted 72 hours after collection unless transferred to the City’s ticketing systems because an offense has been committed.
Reporting Options
To report a street use or parking offence, please submit details through one of the following options:
- Call Parking Services, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm at 604-519-2010
- Submit a ticket through SeeClickFix