Parking Rules and Exemptions

Learn about parking rules, exemptions and enforcement in Burlington, including on-street parking, municipal lots, school zones and neighbourhood parking.

The City of Burlington manages parking through Parking Bylaw (By-law 039-2016). For more information, see Parking Administrative Monetary Policies (AMPS) (By-law 040-2016).

Be sure to check this page regularly as these programs may change from time-to-time.

If you have any questions about parking in Burlington, please email Parking Services or call 905-335-7777.

Parking is allowed throughout the City of Burlington for up to 5-hours on streets with the exception of no parking zones, which are clearly marked. There is no on-street parking for more than 5-hours or overnight between 1 a.m and 6 a.m.

In special circumstances, such as home repairs you may request a parking exemption by completing the request on the parking self-serve portal. To take advantage of the 10 free days of parking at Beachway Park granted to Halton Region residents from May to September each year, you will need to log into your account on the parking self-serve portal and complete the request for a Parking exemption at Beachway Park.

  • On-Street Parking Exemption: 15 days per calendar year, per license plate.
  • Beachway Parking Exemption: 10 days May to September, per calendar year, per household (only one license plate)

How does an on-street parking exemption work?

  • Exempt plated vehicles may park until 6 a.m. on the expiry date of the permit/exemption
  • It allows any plated vehicle, such as an RV, motorcycle or trailer, to park on the street past the 5-hour limit and overnight between 1 a.m to 6 a.m., up to 15 days per calendar year, per license plate.
  • These are the only parking offences waived after any vehicle has been registered for a parking exemption:
  1. Park exceeding 5-hour limit
  2. Park between 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.

Reminder: All trailers must be attached to a vehicle to be permitted to park on-street.

How does a Beachway Park parking exemption work?

  • Each exemption is based on a one-day period.
  • RVs and Trailers are not permitted to park at the beach. Only passenger vehicles and motorcycles.
  • Exemptions are required on weekends only (Saturday and Sunday) when paid parking is in effect (8 a.m. - 8 p.m.)
  • It allows residents of Halton Region up to 10 FREE days of parking in the Beachway parking lots from May to September each year.
  • Residents of Halton region cannot use their 15 days of on-street parking exemptions at the beach. These are for on-street exemption only and cannot be used in addition to the free 10 days for Beachway Park.
  • The parking exemption waives your parking fees only. It does NOT reserve your spot at the beach so you should wait to complete the exemption form until you have a legal spot to park in one of the Beachway Park parking lots.
  • Once Halton Region residents have used their 10 days of parking exemptions, they must pay for parking.

Important Reminders:

  • If you received a parking ticket for exceeding the 5-hour limit or between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on the street after you have requested a parking exemption, email Parking Services or call 905-335-7777.
  • You cannot park on the street during snow clearing or road maintenance operations.
  • Parking tickets issued prior to a parking exemption request will not be waived.

View information about downtown parking in Burlington. If parking outside of the downtown, our city-wide, on-street parking rules include:

  • A five-hour parking limit on most residential streets in the daytime and evenings, seven days per week including weekends and holidays.
  • On-street parking is not allowed between 1 and 6 a.m., unless otherwise signed.

Exemptions

In special circumstances, for example, driveway repairs or out-of-town guests, you can request an on-street parking exemption. A Parking Exemption allows a vehicle or RV to park on the street past the five-hour limit or overnight, up to 15 days per calendar year, per licence plate. Exempt plated vehicles may park until 6 a.m. on the expiry date of the permit/exemption. Exemptions can only be booked one 24-hour period at a time so that the system can accurately track the number issued. You can book exemptions up to 3 days in advance.

Request an on-street parking exemption

Parking exemptions are not in effect during snow removal or road maintenance. Exemptions are not valid on pay streets and we do not waive parking tickets that have been issued before your parking exemption.

Please note: The city of Burlington has introduced a portal for resident parking exemptions. Residents and property owners can now apply and get their parking exemptions through the self-serve portal.

Our municipal parking lots and garage rules are:

  • Parking is subject to applicable hourly, daily and/or monthly fees at municipal parking lots and garages, generally from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. See our Parking Bylaw for a list of fees.
  • Free parking is available on Mondays to Fridays from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., all day Saturday and Sunday with no time limit.
  • Free parking is available for the maximum time allowed with a valid accessible parking permit or City-issued veteran permit.
  • Parking overnight is permitted in some municipal parks. Check posted signage for details.
  • You 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 you may be plowed in.

Help keep school zones safe for children. If you are picking up your child from school, you are not allowed to park or wait in any "no parking" zones.

Shoulder parking is not allowed in rural areas of the city. This helps keep you safe, as well as other drivers and cyclists that use rural roads.

Rural parking lots

When parking in a rural area, here are some parking lots and locations where you can park:

Parks located near trails

You can use these parking lots if you need to park near a trail include:

Our parking enforcement officers ticket for:

  • parking bylaws on all City streets to help keep vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians moving safely and when there is road work
  • fire routes so they are kept clear for emergency vehicles
  • designated disabled parking spaces to make sure that vehicles are displaying a valid permit and those who need the spaces can access them.

Request enforcement services

You can request parking bylaw enforcement services:

Private property enforcement

You can register to have parking bylaw enforcement services enforce parking on your property under our Parking and Idling Bylaw. Review the authorization signs which must be installed on the property.

Complete our Parking Enforcement on Private Property Form to authorize parking enforcement officials to enter your location when needed.

Parking Policies and Guidelines

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