Learn how to find a parking spot, pay for parking and charge your electric vehicle in downtown Burlington! Get started by viewing our information below.
- Daily rates and free parking times
- Parking map with municipal lots, private lots, waterfront parking lots, loading zone and pay park areas
- Pay-by-plate instructions
- Permits for downtown municipal lots
Important reminders
- When you make a minimum payment of 25¢, we add on 20 minutes. This means you get 28 minutes total for 25¢ (25¢ = 8 minutes of paid time plus 20 minutes of free time).
- Remaining paid time on a parking purchase is transferable from: pay street to another pay street, pay city parking garage or lot to another pay city parking lot. Please note, users must move their vehicle to a different parking spot to be eligible for this feature.
If you have any questions about parking downtown, please contact us at 905-335-7777 or by email.
On-street parking |
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On-street parking is available downtown for a maximum of 20 minutes at a time. This is to help businesses that offer curbside pickup and applies to :
If you are a driver, please follow all other parking regulations, such as no stopping and no parking in loading zones. We don't want to have to give you a ticket! Paid parkingYou can park in our downtown and be close to lots of amenities. You need to pay to park downtown Mondays to Fridays/Saturdays (Lots 1, 4, 5 and on-street parking) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The parking rate is $2 per hour. Paid Parking on Saturdays If you choose to park: - in Lots 1, 4 & 5 or on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., you will need to pay for parking. Most other City lots in the downtown have no charge to park on Saturdays. On-street parking is limited to three hours. You can pay at our parking machines with cash or credit card. You can also use the HONK mobile app to pay and renew your parking time on your phone. Download the app to search for and pay for parking from anywhere. Free parkingThere is no charge to park in Lots 1, 4 & 5 from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Saturday, and all day on Sunday and holidays. There is no fee to parking in most other downtown parking lots from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Friday, and all day on Saturday, Sunday and holidays. You also do not need to pay for parking in The Waterfront Parking Garage, 414 Locust St. from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Friday, and all day on Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Free parking is also available in any lot or on-street space with a valid accessible parking permit or City-issued Veteran Parking Permit. |
Municipal parking lots and garages |
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We offer a variety of downtown municipal parking in lots and the waterfront parking garage . Paid parkingParking in municipal parking lots and the garage is subject to applicable hourly, daily and/or monthly fees, generally from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. View our Parking Bylaw for fees at each location. We also offer monthly permits for downtown municipal lots and the garage. Free parkingFree parking is available Monday to Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., all day on Saturday and Sunday with no time limit. Free parking is also available with a valid accessible parking permit or City-issued veteran permit. Waterfront parking lot at Spencer Smith ParkThe waterfront parking lot at Spencer Smith Park offers free parking:
Parking fees apply at all other times, seven days per week. Waterfront parking garageCheck out our waterfront parking garage at 414 Locust St., Burlington, which offers 339 parking spaces in the heart of downtown. Parking is free overnight. Lot 16 - 515 John St. - Temporary Mobile Payment LotLot 16 is located at 515 John St. on the south east corner of John Street and Caroline Street. It is a new, temporary parking lot that only takes mobile payments. There is no parking machine so you do need to pay for your parking using the HONK Mobile app. Our parking officers will know that you’ve paid for parking using your license plate, since there are no paper permits and nothing to put on your dashboard. If you need to extend your stay, you can do that using HONK on your phone. You need to pay for parking in Lot 16: Monday to Friday Parking is free after 6 p.m., on weekends and holidays. Winter overnight parkingYou may park overnight in downtown municipal lots during the winter. However, please be aware that during a snowfall, we clear snow from municipal parking lots and vehicles are at risk of getting plowed in. |
Municipal parking lots, street parking and Locust Street Waterfront Garage rules |
Paid parkingIf you park in any municipal parking lots, street spots or the garage, there are peak times when you need to pay for parking. You may choose hourly, daily and/or monthly fees, generally from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. Select lots require payment on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Follow our signs for details. Free parkingYou can park without paying Monday to Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., and all day Sunday with no time limit in most lots. Some downtown lots also offer this on Saturdays. Follow our signs for details. If you have a valid accessible parking permit or City-issued veteran permit, we offer you free parking. You can park for up to the allowed time and no payment is needed. Overnight parkingYou may park overnight in parking lots at Orchard Community Park, Lampman Park and Pathfinder Park, if applicable. You may park overnight in downtown municipal lots during the winter. Please be aware that during a snowfall, we clear snow from municipal parking lots and you may be plowed in. Subscribe to our |
Pay-by-plate parking and using the HONK mobile app |
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Located throughout the downtown, our pay-by-plate parking machines have replaced parking meters and the machines formerly found in municipal lots. Benefits of pay-by-plate parkingThe pay-by-plate machines offer you a variety of advantages, including:
HONK mobile app (online) paymentsYou can use the HONK mobile app to search, pay for and top-up on-street and municipal lot parking payments online, directly from your smartphone, tablet or computer. Download the app from Apple's App Store or the Google Play Store using any internet connected device. You must sign up for an account and pay a transaction fee of $0.35 for each payment. Frequently asked questions |
How can I add time to the time I've purchased remotely? |
| Top-up your parking payment using the HONK mobile app. |
If I have money left on my parking purchase, can I use it to park in a new location? |
Yes. Any remaining paid time on a parking purchase can be used in another downtown parking lot, the parking garage or on a downtown street. Permits are transferable from:
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Has the price of parking increased? |
| Yes, the price has increased. The rate is now $2 per hour. |
Downtown maps and finding parking
View our interactive online Downtown Municipal Parking Map to find current parking spaces available, types of parking and rates.
You can also locate our Downtown Burlington Festivals and Events Parking on the Downtown Municipal Parking Map.
Shuttle Service
Shuttle bus service is available for the following major events. For schedule information, please refer to their website:
- Sound of Music (Father’s Day Weekend)
- Canada Day (July 1st)
- Ribfest (Labour Day Weekend)
Occupancy sensors and digital signage
We are one of the first cities in Canada to introduce new occupancy sensor technology that helps make it easier for you to find available parking online. By installing small occupancy sensors at all on-street and municipal lot parking spaces, we keep track of which spaces are occupied and which are empty for use.
The sensors placed at each space send a wireless signal to a nearby receiver when a vehicle is parked. Using this data, real-time parking information is displayed on digital counter signs installed at City-owned parking lots. The signs show drivers the number of spaces available in each lot. These sensor installations are ongoing and will involve rolling lot closures in the spring and summer .
We have also installed digital way-finding signs on major downtown streets. These signs display real-time information about the number of available parking spaces in nearby lots. They use directional arrows to guide you to lots with empty spaces.
Public electric vehicle charging stations
Did you know there are 32 public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in downtown Burlington? All charging units are Level 2, the most common level of charging.
Locations
| Address | Available time to plug in | Number of ports |
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Parking Lot 2 - 446 Burlington Ave. |
After 6 p.m. and on weekends |
Six |
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Parking Lot 3 - 533 John St. |
After 6 p.m. and on weekends |
Two |
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Parking Lot 4 - 421 John St. |
After 6 p.m. and on weekends |
Two |
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Parking Lot 5 - 391 Brant St. |
Anytime |
Two |
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Parking Lot 6 - 430 Brock Ave. |
After 6 p.m. and on weekends |
Two |
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Parking Lot 7 - 500 Locust St. |
After 6 p.m. and on weekends |
Two |
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Parking Lot 10 - 1371 Elgin St. |
After 6 p.m. and on weekends |
Two |
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Parking Lot 13 - 426 Brant St. |
Anytime |
Two |
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Waterfront Parking Garage Level 1A - 414 Locust St. |
Anytime |
Four |
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Waterfront Parking Garage Level 6A - 414 Locust St. |
Anytime |
Two |
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Waterfront Parking Garage Level 6A - 414 Locust St. |
After 6 p.m. and on weekends |
Six |
You can find other publicly accessible EV charging stations around Burlington with PlugShare.
Who can park at EV charging stations?
As per our Parking Bylaw, only electric vehicles may park in designated EV parking spaces. EVs must be plugged in and you must move within four hours of parking. A $47 ticket is issued for non-compliance.
Costs
There is no fee to charge a vehicle, however our parking rates still apply.
What is an electric vehicle?
An electric vehicle, also known as an EV, is a car that is powered by an electric motor instead of a gasoline engine. An EV uses energy that is stored in rechargeable batteries, which are recharged by common household electricity.
Electric vehicles are quiet, cheaper to operate than gasoline-powered cars and do not have tailpipe emissions. The electricity used to charge EVs in Ontario is much cleaner, since the provincial government phased out coal-fired generating stations, resulting in limited greenhouse gas emissions from the grid.