Parking FAQ
You must park a minimum of 3 metres away from a public or private driveway.
You must park a minimum of 10 metres away from an intersection.
You must park a minimum of 5 metres away from a fire hydrant.
You must park a minimum of 6 metres from a crosswalk.
You must park a minimum of 6 metres from a sign such as a stop sign, yield sign, or other traffic control sign.
You must park a minimum of 6 metres away from the entrance or exit of a hotel, theatre, public meeting place, fire hall or fenced playground.
No, you cannot park adjacent to a curb painted yellow.
You can only angle park in areas with signage indicating that it is permitted.
Unless otherwise posted, the default in British Columbia (most streets) is parallel parking to ensure traffic flows properly.
You cannot park contrary to the direction of traffic flow on that side of the street.
You must park within 30cm of the curb.
When there are no time restricted signs, you can park for up to 24 hours.
If you wish to park your trailer on the street it must always be properly attached to the towing vehicle. Any trailer left unhitched on the street is subject to ticketing. In the absence of a posted time limit, the city-wide 24-hour maximum time limit for parking will apply.
In instances where there is on street parking beside a bike lane, you must ensure your entire vehicle is clear from the bike lane and no part of your vehicle is within the painted bike lane lines. Parking within a bike lane is prohibited.
The maximum weight for a commercial vehicle that is allowed to park on residential streets is 5600 kg. (Zoning Bylaw 12375, a commercial vehicle in excess of 4,100 kg. licensed gross vehicle weight is not permitted on a lot in a residential zone)
If you are actively loading or unloading you may park temporarily in a loading zone.
Vehicles left unattended with no visible loading/unloading taking place may be ticketed and/or towed.
On the approach side of the bus stop you must park a minimum of 30 metres away and on the exit side you must park a minimum of 5 meters away unless otherwise indicated by a traffic control device.
With the increase in use of ALPR cameras by the City of Kelowna and the RCMP, and the discontinuation of licence plate decals, the ability to scan and read plates is essential. When a defective plate starts to peel (delaminate), the camera can no longer read it, and it must be replaced. Failure to replace your delaminated plates can result in ticketing and fines.
To replace delaminated plates, please contact ICBC or your Autoplan dealer. If you have been ticketed by us for a delaminated plate, please follow the directions left with your ticket.
Taxi Hydrant Zones allow temporary taxi parking while the driver waits for a fare or to pick-up/drop-off passengers. This pilot program aims to utilize curb space and avoid decreasing public parking to accommodate taxi zones. Only licenced and marked taxis may use these zones.
Similar programs have been successfully implemented in other municipalities. Currently, we have six clearly marked Taxi Hydrant Zones.
The Traffic Bylaw No.8120 can be found on our website under bylaws & policies. Part 04 includes the parking regulations.
You can email parking@kelowna.ca or call 250-469-8400 with any parking related question that you have.
The current fee is $24 (including tax), subject to an annual CPI adjustment (Schedule A in Traffic Bylaw No. 8120)
Revenue Branch, City Hall, 1435 Water Street, Kelowna, BC V1Y 1J4
Fax: 250 862-3391, e-mail: revenue@kelowna.ca, phone: 250 469-8757
Accessible parking permits are only valid for the person whose name is printed on the back of the permit. Don't use the permit and/or marked accessible stalls if the person who the permit is registered to is not present in the vehicle, or if that person is not leaving the vehicle. Abuse of accessible permits will result in the permit being revoked.
No. An individual is only entitled to one accessible permit. The permit follows the permit holder in their own vehicle or when they're given a ride. An individual is not permitted to hold two permits from different jurisdictions at the same time.
Permanent permits
Permanent permits are valid for three years. Please bring your expired permit to the Revenue Branch located on the main floor of City Hall. It's not necessary to obtain a new doctor's certificate to renew a permanent permit.
Temporary permits
A temporary accessible permit is valid up to a maximum of one year. You must submit a new signed doctor’s certificate to renew a temporary permit.
We don't send out renewal notices. It's the individual’s responsibility to keep track of the expiry date, which is shown on your receipt and is hole-punched on the placard.
Based on a physician’s recommendation, anyone with permanent or temporary mobility impairment is eligible for a permit.
You may be eligible for an accessible parking permit if you:
- Need an extra wide stall to get in and out of your vehicle
- Can't walk more than 100 metres
- Are legally blind
In any designated accessible parking stall or City-owned parking lot/parkade. However, you must pay for parking in any regular on-street metered parking stall. Vehicles displaying a valid permit may park longer than the time limit, but no vehicle may park for more than 24 hours on any city street without moving.
This is not a free parking pass. It's a permit that allows you to park in accessible parking stalls so you're closer to your destination. It's also necessary to pay fees at privately run parking lots (example: Hospital, Prospera Place, etc.).
Check our Find Parking page to see the number of available spaces in each parkade and where the accessible parking spots are located around town.
Questions concerning City of Kelowna issued fines and rules should be directed to the issuing department indicated on the back of the Bylaw Notice.
Yes. We honour SPARCBC passes in accessible spots throughout the city.
Permanent permits are made of flexible white plastic and have the internationally recognized blue and white accessibility wheelchair symbol on the front. The day, month and year will be hole-punched, signifying the expiry date. There's a side hanging hook to hang the permit around your rearview mirror while parked.
"Permanent" or "temporary" will be written on the front of the permit. Both permanent and temporary permits have the name of the registered owner printed and signed on the back.
Eco-Passes are available for plug-in electric vehicles. All permits are valid for a period of one-year and allow up to two hours per day of no-charge on-street parking in Kelowna. Note these passes are issued on a one-time basis and are not renewable.
Visit City Hall with your ICBC vehicle registration and proof that your vehicle is a plug-in electric. Ask our main reception to contact Parking Services so we may issue your permit.
No, eco-pass permits are valid for one-year and may not be renewed.
Please visit parking details & rates page under rates & payment options.
Keep your receipt. If you receive a bylaw offence notice, call the Kelowna Parking office at 250-862-8585.
In the Downtown and South Pandosy business areas, there is no charge for on-street parking on statutory holidays.
For on-street parking surrounding Kelowna General Hospital, pay parking is in effect every day.
You can pay for your parking, receive reminders before your time on the meter expires, and extend your time remotely without returning to your car. Visit the PayByPhone website to sign up today!
Yes, you can use PayByPhone on the web.
Parking rules, regulations and rates are part of a city-wide Parking Management Strategy, endorsed by Council in Jan. 2014 and guided by a set of parking management principles. The strategy makes sure our parking system:
- Improves availability of short-term parking spaces,
- Continues to pay for itself so that general taxation is not impacted,
- Offers customer service options for better customer interaction,
- Works with institutions, businesses and developers, and
- Provides a balanced transportation network.
For more information on our parking management strategy please visit our website.
Funds collected from parking covers all operational expenses including enforcement, signage, and parkade/parking lot maintenance. At the end of each year, net revenues after expenses are transferred to parking reserve funds that support the renewal of existing infrastructure and provides funding for major expenditures.
Company vehicles such as a taxi or a truck with a logo on it can park anywhere that personal vehicles can. Everyone must obey the parking restrictions for that area. Weight limits apply in residential areas.
For City of Kelowna parkades and lots, visit our parking details & rates page. To purchase a pass or obtain further information, please contact Kelowna Parking at 250-862-8585.
- The Library Parkade has a 6’8” (approx. 2m) clearance.
- The Chapman Parkade has a 6’10.5” (approx. 2.1m) clearance.
- The Memorial Parkade has a 6’7” (approx. 2m) clearance.
Please fill out this service request for parkade maintenance.
If you have concerns about a parking lot that is not owned by the city then please contact the owner directly. You can find out which parking lots are owned by the city under the find parking page by selecting the appropriate lot on the map.
No, it is simply a warning. Please call the issuing department indicated on the back of the notice and we can explain the notice.
Yes you can pay for your ticket through the City of Kelowna’s website, at the Kelowna Parking office at the Library Parkade, the Bylaw Services Office in the Memorial Parkade, or at the City Hall cashier.
You can read through the Traffic Bylaw under Part 04 – Parking Regulations.
Delaminated plates are unreadable by the LPR cameras used by City of Kelowna and the RCMP. If you receive a ticket for this reason, please contact ICBC within 30 days to obtain replacement plates. After 30 days your ticket will go to collections and cannot be reduced to a warning. Once your license plates are replaced, and if this is the first bylaw violation notice for delaminated plates, you can have the penalty waived by emailing a copy of your new registration to parkingadmin@kelowna.ca along with the Bylaw Offence Notice number.
Mario’s Towing can be reached at 1-888-292-1581 or by email at info@marios-towing.com. Please call before appearing in person to obtain pricing and understand any documentation requirements.
All vehicles are towed by our contractor, Mario’s Towing. Vehicles can be picked up from 3075 Sexsmith Rd. Please call before appearing in person to obtain pricing and understand any documentation requirements.
There are a few reasons that vehicles are towed. Vehicles blocking a driveway or considered to be abandoned are a couple examples. To find out exactly why your vehicle has been towed please contact the issuing department indicated on the back of the notice.
Timed parking restrictions (one- or two-hour maximum) affect six residential zones in Kelowna. The restriction limits the time non-residents can park on the street. These zones are in areas that attract large numbers of visitors. For more information, view the residential parking zone map
In the absence of a posted time limit, parking on any city street or facility/lot is subject to a 24-hour maximum.
Out of courtesy to neighbours, residents are encouraged to park in front of their own residences when space is available. However, permit holders do not have preferential parking in front of their property, as the street is City-owned and available for anyone to park.
Permits are available at the Application Centre on the second floor of City Hall for residents of qualifying properties. Provide your name, vehicle license plate number and two pieces of documentation proving you live in a residential zone. One of those documents must be your vehicle licensing documents showing the vehicle is registered to the permit address.
For more information on residential parking permits, please refer to roads-transportation/parking/parking-permits.
Residential Permits are $30 each, plus applicable taxes. subject to an annual CPI adjustment (Schedule A in Traffic Bylaw No. 8120)
Fees are payable by cheque, cash or debit card at time of issue. There is no charge for visitor (temporary) permits. All permits are valid for a maximum of one year and must be renewed annually. No refunds are provided for early cancellation.
Residents that qualify may apply for a visitor permit through the application centre located on the second floor of City Hall.
For apartment buildings or strata corporations, please note that only the building manager, property manager, strata council or other authorized representative may obtain visitor permits for an eligible multi-family development. Permits will not be issued to individual residents.
Visitor (temporary) permits are for the exclusive use of visitors to the residence, and use will be closely monitored by enforcement personnel. These permits may not be used by the resident, permit holder or any vehicle registered to the address associated with the permit. Vehicles found misusing a pass will be ticketed and/or towed.
Misuse of any visitor (temporary) permit will result in a cancellation of ALL permits for one year, and future issuance of visitor permits for that residence will be reviewed and possibly denied.
Visitor must be present at the registered address while the permit is in use.
Traffic Officers patrol time-restricted areas. Vehicles without a permit parked longer than the posted time limit may be ticketed and/or towed at the vehicle owner's expense.
Hangtags must be displayed from the rearview mirror. Decal-style permits must be affixed to the inside of the lower left driver's side of the windshield or rear window. Officers must be able to clearly see your permit, and it must not be obstructed in any way, or a fine may be issued.
Resident permit fees help offset the enforcement and administration costs to provide this service to residents. This program requires a significant amount of staff resources to operate and provide enforcement.
The measure of a successful parking program is compliance with the Traffic Bylaw and a reduction in the number of violations. When a parking management program is a success, the fine revenue decreases. Our goal is not to increase fine revenue, but to change behaviour and solve the parking problems in an area.
Residential Parking Only zones, where the parking is reserved exclusively for residents, will not be considered unless all other parking management measures have been exhausted (including a 1 hour time restriction that does not resolve the issue) and the following criteria are met:
- A petition is completed showing support from a minimum of 80 per cent of Residential Permit Eligible Dwelling units on both sides of a block (between two intersecting streets).
- The subject block must have insufficient off‐street parking. The total number of off‐street parking spaces for all residences in a block must be less than the total number of spaces required as per Zoning Bylaw No. 8000.
- With a one‐hour maximum time limit in effect, occupancy levels during peak periods must exceed 90 per cent, with a minimum of 50 per cent transient parking.
- Unless a Resident Parking Only zone is approved as part of an area parking plan approved by Council, implementation may be limited to one side or 50 per cent of a block, to be determined by the Parking Services Manager, Traffic Operations Supervisor, Parking Operations Coordinator.
- The block must be located within 500 meters of a High Parking Generator. Peak operating hours for the High Parking Generator will be used to establish the new restriction (i.e. daytime, overnight only or full‐time).
Please visit the parking permits page to download the petition template.
Residential permits are issued to a specific vehicle license plate and are valid within one residential permit zone. If you change vehicles and obtain a new license plate number, your permit will not be valid, and you must apply for a replacement permit. Please bring your vehicle insurance/licensing information to the Application Centre, located on the second floor of City Hall to update your permit information.
You can email your request to parking@kelowna.ca or call 250-469-8400
No, the construction permits are available only if the residence is unoccupied and there are no other valid Visitor (Temporary) Permits for the address. Construction vehicles, while working at an unoccupied Residential Permit Eligible Dwelling may be issued Visitor (Temporary) Permits valid for a period not greater than 4 months. A valid building permit must be in place for the subject property and the number of passes issued may not exceed the available street frontage (1 permit per 7 metres). Please reference the Residential Parking Permit Program for more information.
Alternatives to parking include options such as transit, riding a bike, car pooling, etc.
Bike lockers located in several locations within the Downtown and South Pandosy areas are available for monthly rental. For more information please contact Kelowna Parking at 250-862-8585 or email kelownaparking@kelowna.ca
- Reef Parking (Impark) - 250-763-9905
- Diamond Parking Service - 1-888-587-1111
Yes they are.
- Kelowna Parking - Management of monthly parking permits, cleaning of parkades and parking lots and enforcement in pay parking areas.
- Parking Services - Requests for new parking restrictions (petitions), new signage and enforcement of time restricted areas.
- Bylaw Services - Enforcement of abandoned vehicles and all parking violations outside of pay, time restricted or institutional parking areas.
- Traffic Operations - Repair of existing parking related signage and requests for new parking restrictions related to sightline and traffic safety concerns.
Priority one: Health and safety
Priority two: City liability
Priority three: Nuisances
Priority four: Nominal infractions
Please fill out this service request for parkade maintenance.
Please fill out this service request to report the problem with the pay station.
Please fill out this service request to report snow/ice in a city parking lot.
Please fill out this service request to report an abandoned vehicle.
You can request new signage by filling out this service request.
