ON-STREET PARKING
- Free on-street parking downtown is available for up to three hours except in designated No Parking zones.
- On-street parking prohibited from 12:00am to 7:00am between October and April.
PARKADES AND LOTS
- The City operates five parkades and seven parking lots that have stalls rented out on a month-by-month basis.
- Six locations offer hourly ($1 per hour) or daily ($6 per day) parking on a pay-by-plate basis.
OFF-STREET PARKING PERMITS
Register for downtown off-street parking permits. Select from 10 locations, choose stalls, and pay for permits in one, easy-to-use system.
FREE OFF-STREET PARKING
Free off-street parking is available on weekday evenings from 5:00pm onwards, all day Saturday and Sunday, and on statutory holidays at the following locations:
- City Hall
- Plaza Parkade (lower level)
CIVIC FACILITY PARKING
- The Bob Harkins branch of the Prince George Public Library, Civic Centre, and the Four Seasons Leisure Pool have three free hours of parking for patrons with an option of extra time at a rate of $1 per hour or $6 per day.
-
Parking at these locations while not using the facilities is a parking notice offence.
- Vehicle license plates must be registered on all monthly rental stalls and at pay stations at locations offering hourly or daily parking. This includes the Bob Harkins branch of the PGPL, Civic Centre, and the Four Seasons Leisure Pool.
WINTER RESTRICTIONS
Parking restrictions are in place from October 15 to April 15 of each year to help with snow and ice control operations:
- Priority Ones and the Hospital District - On-street parking is prohibited from 10:00pm to 7:00am.
- Downtown - On-street parking is prohibited from 12:00am to 7:00am.
- Residential Areas - On-street parking is prohibited from 8:00am to 6:00pm. Parking on the side of the street with odd house numbers is permitted from 6:00pm to 8:00am unless otherwise posted.
Illegally parked vehicles are subject to a $50 ticket per offence and/or may be towed.
SPRING RESTRICTIONS
- Downtown streets are usually swept twice a week during evenings once major spring sand removal operations are complete.
- Parking is not allowed on downtown streets during sweeping operations from
1:00am to 7:00am.
- Cars impeding sweeping operations on any city street may be ticketed and/or towed.
License Plate Recognition
The City of Prince George uses LPR (License Plate Recognition) technology as a part of its parking enforcement services under section 26(c) of the B.C. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Any questions or complaints about the collection of information can be directed to:
Bylaw Services - City Hall
1100 Patricia Boulevard
Prince George, BC V2L 3V9
Canada
Phone: 250-561-7622
Email:
bylawservices@princegeorge.ca
NOTE: The City does not accept anonymous complaints.
New Time Parking Exemptions
Changes to the Parking and Traffic Bylaw exempts the following vehicles from timed parking restrictions in Prince George:
- Government vehicles being used to perform work requiring the vehicle.
- Vehicles owned by a utility company performing repairs or installations requiring the vehicle.
- Emergency vehicles.
- Commercial vehicles making a delivery or picking up a commodity or being used for making repairs or installing equipment for a bonafide customer.
- Vehicles for Hire with a valid business license on duty.
- Tow trucks with a valid business license on duty.
- Vehicles displaying a valid Veterans License Plate.
- Vehicles displaying one of the following valid parking permits:
- Disabled parking permit.
- Residential parking permit for the zone it is parked in.
- Freedom of the City parking permit.
- Volunteer parking permit.
- Special parking permit.
Special and Volunteer Parking Permits
A special parking permit is available at no cost to social service agencies or health care providers that have staff or volunteers who transport clients or patients to and from the downtown or other location with time-limited parking.
How to Apply for a Special Parking Permit
- A special parking permit may be obtained by any social service agency or health care provider, at no cost, for the use of their staff or volunteers while providing services requiring the transportation of clients or patients to and from the downtown or other area that has a posted time limit for parking.
- Permits will only be issued to the social service agency or health care provider to monitor and ensure proper use.
- Individuals will not be provided permits.
- To obtain the permits the social service agency or health care provider must submit a request on their letter head to Bylaw Services indicating the following information:
- Contact information of an authorized person of the social service agency or health care provider, and contact information for who will manage their permits.
- The type of work the staff do.
- The number of permits they require. The numbers of permits issued will be determined by the need of each social service agency or health care provider. For example if there will only be three staff transporting clients to and from the downtown at any given time, only three will be issued even if they may have 20 staff members.
- The following are the conditions for their use:
- They are for use only when staff are actively transporting clients or patients.
- Permits are only required Monday to Friday 7:00am to 5:00pm.
- Permits are to be hung from the rear view mirror only.
- Special parking permits are for on-street parking only and are not valid in any off-street lot unless otherwise allowed by Bylaw Services.
- Any misuse of the permits may result in the social service agency or health care provider having their permits cancelled.
- Permits will expire one year from the date of issue unless otherwise indicated on the permit and must be renewed by the social service agency or health care provider following the requirements outlined in Step 4.
- At the discretion of the Manager of Bylaw Services or designate, special parking permits may also be issued when circumstances deem it necessary.
How to Apply for a Volunteer Parking Permit
- Bylaw Services may issue one or more volunteer parking permits, at no cost, to any volunteer organization, service club, or group for the use of their volunteers while doing their volunteer work in an area that has a posted time limit for parking.
- Permits may be issued to the organization to monitor and ensure proper use.
- Individuals will not be provided permits.
- To obtain the permits the organization must submit a request to Bylaw Services, on the organizations letter head indicating the following information:
- Contact information of an authorized person of the organization, and contact information for who will manage their permits.
- The type of work the volunteers do.
- The number of permits they require. The numbers of permits issued will be determined by the need of each organization. For example if there will only be three volunteers parking in the downtown at any given time, only three will be issued to the organization even if they may have 20 volunteers.
- The following are the conditions for their use:
- They are for volunteer use only and not for the use of paid employees.
- Permits are only required Monday to Friday 7:00am to 5:00pm.
- Permits are to be hung from the rear view mirror only while performing volunteer duties only.
- Volunteer permits are for on-street parking only and are not valid in any off-street lot.
- Any misuse of the permits may result in the organization having their permits cancelled.
- Permits will expire one year from the date of issue and must be renewed by the organization following the requirements outlined in Step 4.
Questions and Answers
What happens if I park downtown in the morning for a few minutes and then again in the afternoon?
This initiative is aimed at reducing the number of chronic offenders in timed zones, not to punish casual visitors and shoppers downtown. Residents who believe they received a parking notice in error may dispute it by completing an Online Ticket Dispute Form or by calling 250-561-7622.
When did all of this come into effect?
The amended bylaws and license plate recognition system went live in November 2016.
When am I at risk of getting a notice?
The system is in effect Monday to Friday during regular business days from 7:00am to 5:00pm. There is no charge for off-street and on-street parking stalls during all other hours and days of the week.
I work downtown and need to park. Where should I park?
If you intend to park downtown for more than three hours during the day on a regular business day, please park in the off-street lots (refer to the map above). The charge for parking in these lots is $1 per hour or $6 per day. There are also privately-owned lots available for rent.
Which parts of the downtown area will these bylaws be active in?
The bylaws will only affect the downtown area from Scotia Street to Winnipeg Street, First Avenue to 12th Avenue, including Patricia Boulevard.
How much does it cost to park in an off-street lot?
It costs $1 per hour or $6 per day to park in an off-street lot. Monthly rates range from $57.00 to $141.00 plus taxes. Note that the parkade with the highest rate is fully occupied with a significant waiting list.
How much will bylaw violation fines cost?
Most fines will be $50 (an increase from the current $25 fine for a first infraction). The $50 fine is consistent with fines levied through the City's Off-Street Parking Bylaw. Fines for violating timed zones will increase for repeat offenders after two offences. Fines for more serious safety issues like obstructing fire hydrants or crosswalks will increase to $75. Fines for parking in disabled stalls will increase to $100.