Overnight Parking

Overnight parking is not permitted on any city street and some of our municipal parking lots from Dec. 1 to March 31 between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., whether it is snowing or not, as per Traffic Bylaw 8021-04.

This allows snowplows to clear snow effectively and with one pass, thereby reducing the cost of our winter operations.

Accommodating Additional Vehicles

If your property currently cannot accommodate additional vehicles, the zoning bylaw permits you to extend your driveway up to 50 per cent of your front yard or exterior side yard to alleviate parking issue on your property. You will need to apply for a Driveway Excavation / Expansion Permit.

Along with your application, you will need to submit a site plan drawing of your property, showing the measurements of your property lines, your existing driveway and your proposed expansion. You must also include in the drawing any structures that are around your driveway such as trees, street lights, fire hydrants, and utility boxes. Please note, it is prohibited for vehicles to be located in a sight triangle of an intersection; view our Zoning Bylaw page for more details. If you have any questions, you may email the Building Department or call one of the Building Technicians at 519-539-2382 ext. 3106 or 3103.

Residents/Landlords are responsible for making sure there is adequate parking to meet their parking needs when they purchase or rent a home.

Overnight Parking Exemptions 

If your property has one parking space or less, you may qualify for an overnight parking exemption. See the full criteria below. However, if your property currently has two or more parking spaces (including your garage space) you are not eligible for an overnight parking exemption and will need to make other arrangements. See above how you may accommodate additional parking spaces on your property by expanding your driveway. 

If you need additional parking for overnight visitors, you may apply for a Temporary Parking permit. 

Criteria For Eligibility

The following criteria is also required as part of the exemption review:

• The City of Woodstock recognizes your property as a legal residential property;
• The property doesn't have space to construct off-street parking spaces on a location and of a size in accordance with the Zoning Bylaw or has been refused approval to construct Boulevard Parking; and
• You must provide proof of the number of vehicles owned by residents at the address.

Exemption permits will only be valid for side-streets and will not be issued for through-streets.

Applying for an Exemption

If you meet the criteria above, you may submit an Overnight Parking Exemption Application for consideration in person to our Bylaw Department at 944 James Street during regular hours of operation, Mondays to Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or email your application. A valid copy of ownership(s) for each vehicle registered to the property (front and back) is required and must accompany the application. Vehicles not registered to the property will not be considered as part of the exemption review process.

Issuing Exemption Permits

Our Bylaw Department will review the application and property address it to see if an exemption may be granted. Residents will be notified by phone whether a permit has been granted or not. If granted, you will be notified to pick up your permit at the Engineering Office at 944 James Street. The permit will note the license plate number of the vehicle and identify the street and which side of the street you are to park your vehicle.

If your application is denied, you may submit a letter asking for the application to be reviewed and explain why you feel you should be granted an exemption and address your letter to the City Engineer for consideration. 

Address letter as follows:

Parking Exemption Clarification
City Engineer
944 James Street
Woodstock, ON N4S 0B5

The City Engineer reserves the right to approve or deny all requests.

Exemption Permit Fees

Parking permits fee is: $42.75 (taxes incl.) (December 1 - March 31)

Permit Holder Responsibilities

If you receive an overnight exemption permit, it is your responsibility to ensure:

• The permit is hanging from the rear view mirror with the permit number facing the windshield;
• The permit is clearly visible to someone viewing from outside the vehicle; and
• Your car is parked on the designated street noted on the permit, and on the approved side of the street.

If the permit is not hung properly or you are not parked as noted on your permit, a parking ticket will be issued.

Overnight Parking in Municipal Lots

Residential properties in the downtown core that do not have designated parking spaces are required to make use of our municipal parking lots or make other arrangements. Vehicles may park in any of our lots after business hours for free from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., Mondays to Saturdays, and all day Sundays. If you need to park your vehicle during the day outside the hours noted above, you must purchase a parking permit or a pay and display ticket. Permits may be purchased either monthly, semi-annually (January to June and/or July to December), or annually. Following the link to our Municipal Parking Lots webpage for more information on permits. 

The following municipal lots are the only lots where overnight parking is permitted between Dec. 1 and March 31:

• Market Centre Lot;
• Brock Street Lot;
• Light Street Lot;
• Adelaide Street East Lot; and
• Cole Walkway Lot. 

Which Side of the Lot to Park on During the Winter Season

Signage will be provided noting which side of the parking lot you are required to park on throughout the week. Please read the signs carefully or you will receive a parking ticket for parking on the wrong side. For example, when you pull into one of the lots noted above on a Friday evening, you must park on the Saturday designated side of the parking lot, as your vehicle will be parked between 2 a.m. - 6 a.m. Saturday morning. If you park on the wrong side, you may receive a parking infraction as well as impede our snow clearing efforts, and could result in being blocked in by snow banks, unintentionally.

Paying a Parking Ticket

The set fine for violating the overnight parking rule is $25. If you get a parking ticket, there are several ways you can pay it.  View our Paying a Parking Ticket page for more information.

Report a Problem

If you would like to report a parking bylaw violation, please contact us.