Can You Get a Residential Parking Permit in Vancouver? A Guide for New Duplex and Multiplex Owners

You can get a residential parking permit in Vancouver if your home sits inside one of the City's permit zones and your car is insured with ICBC at that address. Some parts of Vancouver have no permit zone, and Burnaby offers resident permits only near Burnaby General Hospital. Below: who qualifies, the cost, how many permits one home can hold, and what to check before you buy a new duplex, triplex or fourplex home with one parking space or none. For garages, parkade stalls and car chargers inside the building, read our guide to multiplex garages and parking.

Can I get a residential parking permit in Vancouver?

Yes, if two things are true: your address is inside a permit zone, and your vehicle is insured with ICBC at that address. The City's residential parking zones page (copy saved January 9, 2026) says: "You must live in the permit zone to purchase a residential parking permit."

The City's website blocks automated reading, so we read the copies saved by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, and we give each copy's date. Fees and eligibility come from the City's page on buying an annual, short-term or visitor parking permit (copy saved January 30, 2026), checked against the Street and Traffic By-law No. 2849 as consolidated to May 19, 2026. Confirm both on the City's site before you rely on them.

To buy a permit online or by phone, the City lists four requirements:

• You live in the permit zone.
• You own or lease the vehicle.
• You are the main driver named on the ICBC insurance (the "principal operator"), and the insurance shows your current address on both page 1 and page 2.
• You have an email address and a credit card.

Drivers of a company car or someone else's car, students from outside BC and new residents from another province buy in person with extra papers. After you buy online or by phone, the City says you must wait 3 hours before you park in the zone.

Streets with no permit zone

The City's fee page says: "Some areas of the city do not have a residential parking permit zone." In the January 30, 2026 copy, the fee table lists 34 named zones, plus one row for single blocks that have their own permit signs. Many zones carry a neighbourhood name, such as Mount Pleasant, Strathcona or Kitsilano North, and each one covers only the blocks on its own map. The City's online map of permit areas shows the blocks.

On a street with no signs, anyone may park, with one limit. The City's page on parking when there is no signage (copy saved September 13, 2026) says: "Between 8am and 6pm every day, do not park your vehicle for more than 3 hours on a block that you do not live on." Section 17.6(f) of the by-law exempts people who live on the same block, and the City says it checks residency against ICBC vehicle registration.

What a Vancouver residential parking permit costs

A permit costs $105 a year in most zones: $100 plus $5 GST. The price is per vehicle, and the City charges by the day, so a permit bought partway through the year costs less. Each zone has its own expiry month, when every permit in it must be renewed.

From the City's fee table, with base fees matching section 23.4 of the by-law:

• Most zones: $105 a year ($100 + $5 GST).
• Fairview Slopes, Oak West and VGH: $157.50 a year ($150 + $7.50 GST).
• Robson North: $210 a year ($200 + $10 GST).
• The three West End zones (Davie-Beach, Denman West, West End Plateau): $497.73 a year at the market rate ($474.03 + $23.70 GST). A $210 rate applies to people who have held a West End permit, or lived there, since before August 31, 2017, and to people who qualify for the Park Board's Leisure Access Program.

Short-term permits from the same table:

• Out-of-town visitor or rental car: $17.33 a week ($16.50 + $0.83 GST) in most zones, and $27.69 a week in the West End and Robson North zones, for up to 3 months.
• Tradesperson working at your home: $7.64 a day ($7.28 + $0.36 GST).

If you move out of the zone, section 23.9 of the by-law lets you return the permit for a refund of the unused days, less a $6.21 fee.

In our view, the fee is the small part. What matters for a buyer is whether the home sits inside a zone at all, and how many permits it can hold.

How many permits can one home get?

In most zones, the City's table shows no household limit. In 10 zones, each household may hold at most 2 permits: Boundary, Broadway Station, Commercial Drive, Fairview Slopes, Guelph, Industrial, Joyce Station, Kitsilano Point, Mount Pleasant and Strathcona.

The City defines a household as "a self-contained unit with its own kitchen and bathroom, such as a unit in a house, apartment, or condo." It adds: "Roommates, family members, or people renting a room are not considered separate households."

For a family buying in a duplex, triplex or fourplex:

• Each strata home is its own household. If you buy one half of a duplex in Mount Pleasant and your parents buy the other half, each home may apply for up to 2 permits.
• A self-contained suite with its own kitchen and bathroom is its own household. The City says your ICBC insurance documents must show the separate unit, so the suite's address needs its own unit number on the insurance papers.
• Three adult drivers in one home share one limit. In those 10 zones, a grandparent, a parent and an adult child living together in one home get 2 permits between them, unless one of them lives in a separate suite.

In our view, two generations who plan to keep three cars should look at the zone first and the floor plan second.

Which cars cannot get a permit

The City's fee page lists commercial vehicles (including cube vans), large motor homes, most sprinter vans, trailers, and any vehicle longer than 6.4 metres (21 feet) or higher than 2.2 metres (7 feet 2.61 inches). Section 20 of the by-law also bars vehicles over those sizes from any street between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. A tall work van or a camper needs a space off the street, wherever you buy.

What the permit gives you

A permit lets you park anywhere inside your own zone. The City's residential parking permits page (copy saved April 10, 2026) says it "doesn't guarantee that you'll have parking in front of your property."

A permit becomes invalid when you move or change your vehicle or licence plate. It is valid in your own zone only, so a Mount Pleasant decal works in Mount Pleasant and nowhere else.

On a permit block, the City usually puts up "No Parking Except with Permit" and "Time limited Except with Permit" signs. The second kind gives a visitor a set time, which the City says is typically 2 hours. Read the signs on the block itself.

Visitors, family and caregivers

The weekly visitor permit is for out-of-town guests: the City lists Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands except Bowen Island, north of Squamish, east of Chilliwack, and across the US border. If your parents live in Burnaby or Richmond and drive over for Sunday dinner, the visitor permit does not cover them. They would use a time-limited space on your block, or a nearby street without signs.

A nurse, family member or friend who gives you medical care can get a homecare permit, with a doctor's letter. The City says these permits are not issued for childcare such as a nanny or babysitter.

Can you ask for a new permit zone on your block?

You can, but expect to wait. The City's page on requesting a new or changed permit zone (copy saved September 13, 2026) says a review could take 16 to 18 months or longer, and only a resident of the block can ask.

After that wait, the City surveys the households on the block. If more than 50% favour a permit zone, the City designs the signs, and permits go on sale once the signs are up. If fewer than 50% do, the request ends.

Some blocks still carry old "resident parking only" signs. A City page on the change (copy saved January 21, 2026) says Council cancelled that program in 2010, and those blocks are being surveyed. Each will move to paid permit parking or lose its signs, depending on the vote.

We would not buy a home on the hope that a permit zone will arrive later. Judge the street as it is on the day you view the home.

How much parking new half duplexes come with

Most new half duplexes for sale come with one parking space. We counted the 399 active half duplex listings in Vancouver and Burnaby in our MLS® mirror, as last updated October 8, 2026. Our mirror holds only new homes built in 2025 or later.

• 281 list exactly one parking space.
• 80 list two.
• 25 list three or more.
• 13 list no parking space at all. All 13 are in Vancouver: 11 in Vancouver East and 2 in Vancouver West. Every Burnaby listing showed at least one space.

For the kind of space: 248 listings name a garage, and 15 more mention only a garage door opener, for 263 that mention a garage in some form. That matches the figure in our guide to comparing price per square foot. Another 78 list a carport.

We also searched the public descriptions of all 399 listings for any mention of a parking permit, and found none. Three say there is "plenty of street parking" or "additional street parking" nearby. Whether a home sits in a permit zone is something you check yourself.

What to check before you buy a home with one space or none

• Look up the address on the City's permit area map. If it sits inside a zone, note the zone name and whether it is one of the 10 zones with a 2-permit limit.
• Count your cars against the rules. One space plus up to 2 permits covers three cars in a limited zone. A home with no space in the same zone covers two.
• Ask how the address will read. If the home or its suite has a unit number, your ICBC papers must show it. Ask the listing agent what the legal address will be. Our list of questions to ask the listing agent covers parking spaces and storage too.
• Visit at 7 p.m. on a weekday. That is when you see how many neighbours park on the street.
• Read every sign on the block, including the time limits that apply to visitors.
• Think about visitors and vehicle size. Check where family from inside Metro Vancouver will park for longer than 2 or 3 hours, and measure any van or camper.
• Ask whether the parking space is yours. In a strata home, a space can be part of your strata lot, set aside for your use, or assigned by the strata council. Your lawyer can read the strata plan and tell you which.

Street parking in Burnaby

The City of Burnaby's parking page, read on October 9, 2026, says: "Burnaby does not offer Residential Parking Only permits, except near Burnaby General Hospital." Street parking is "public and available on a first come, first served basis, unless signs indicate otherwise."

Its other rules:

• Visitors and non-residents may park in legal spaces for up to 3 hours between 8 am and 6 pm.
• That 3-hour limit is not enforced against residents on the same block, "to allow neighbours to share parking."
• Vehicles over 3,636 kg gross weight, trailers, RVs, campers and mobile homes may park on the street for only 2 hours between 1 am and 6 am.
• Starting in spring 2026, the City says it is increasing parking enforcement, with more officers in school zones, near work sites, on major roads and in the four town centres. It says this brings no new rules and no higher fines.

The full rules are in Burnaby's Street and Traffic Bylaw No. 4299.

For a Burnaby buyer, a second or third car parks on the street like everyone else's, so a weekday evening visit matters most near Metrotown, Brentwood, Edmonds and Lougheed. All 83 new Burnaby half duplexes in our count showed at least one parking space, and 42 of them showed two or more.

What this comes down to

• A Vancouver permit needs an address inside a permit zone and ICBC insurance at that address.
• 28 of the 35 rows in the City's fee table charge $105 a year per car. The West End market rate is $497.73.
• 10 zones limit each household to 2 permits. A self-contained suite with its own unit number counts as its own household.
• On a Vancouver block with no signs, you can park on your own block all day, and visitors get 3 hours between 8am and 6pm.
• Burnaby offers resident permits only near Burnaby General Hospital.
• Of 399 new half duplexes for sale on October 8, 2026, 281 had one parking space and 13 had none.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a residential parking permit in Vancouver?

Yes, if your home is inside one of the City's permit zones and your vehicle is insured with ICBC at that address. You must own or lease the car and be the main driver named on the insurance. On a street outside every zone, no permit is needed or sold.

How much is a residential parking permit in Vancouver?

In most zones it is $105 a year per vehicle, which is $100 plus $5 GST, per the City's fee table saved January 30, 2026. Fairview Slopes, Oak West and VGH cost $157.50, Robson North costs $210, and the three West End zones cost $497.73 at the market rate.

How many parking permits can one household get in Vancouver?

Most zones show no limit in the City's fee table. Ten zones limit each household to 2 permits: Boundary, Broadway Station, Commercial Drive, Fairview Slopes, Guelph, Industrial, Joyce Station, Kitsilano Point, Mount Pleasant and Strathcona. Family members living in one home count as one household.

Does a basement suite get its own parking permits?

It can, if the suite is self-contained with its own kitchen and bathroom. The City treats that as a separate household. The City also says the ICBC insurance documents must show the separate unit, so the suite's unit number needs to appear on the insurance papers before you apply.

How do I know if my address is in a permit zone?

Use the City of Vancouver's online map of residential parking permit areas, and check the zone map PDF linked from the City's permit fee page. Then walk the block and read the signs. A zone named after a neighbourhood covers only certain blocks, so check the exact address.

Does a parking permit guarantee a space in front of my home?

No. The City says a residential parking permit lets you park in your designated zone, and that it does not guarantee parking in front of your property. In Burnaby, the City says street spaces cannot be reserved with cones or other objects, and street parking is first come, first served.

Can I park on my own street without a permit?

On a Vancouver block with no signs, yes. The 3-hour daytime limit in section 17.6(f) of the Street and Traffic By-law does not apply to people who live on that block. On a block with "No Parking Except with Permit" signs, you need a permit for that zone.

Does Burnaby have residential parking permits?

Only near Burnaby General Hospital, according to the City of Burnaby's parking page read on October 9, 2026. Elsewhere, street parking is public and first come, first served. Visitors may park up to 3 hours between 8 am and 6 pm, and that limit is not enforced against residents of the same block.

How long after buying a permit can I park in the zone?

The City of Vancouver says you must wait 3 hours after buying a permit online or by phone before you park in the zone, and a ticket in those 3 hours stands. The decal arrives by mail, and the City asks you to report it if it has not come within 10 business days.

Do new half duplexes in Vancouver come with parking?

Most do. Of 399 new half duplexes for sale in Vancouver and Burnaby in our MLS® mirror on October 8, 2026, 281 listed one parking space, 80 listed two and 25 listed three or more. Thirteen listed no space, all of them in Vancouver.

Can my visiting parents get a visitor parking permit?

Only if they come from outside the area. The City's weekly visitor permit is for guests from Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands except Bowen, north of Squamish, east of Chilliwack, or the United States. Parents from Burnaby or Richmond would use time-limited spaces or a nearby street without signs.

Can my block get a new permit zone after I move in?

A resident can ask, but the City says the review could take 16 to 18 months or longer. The City then surveys the block, and a zone goes ahead only if more than 50% of households favour it. Permits go on sale after the signs are installed.

Is the parking space in a strata duplex mine?

It depends on the strata plan. A space can be part of your strata lot, set aside for your use, or assigned by the strata council under its bylaws. Ask the listing agent which applies, and have your lawyer confirm it from the strata plan before your purchase becomes firm.

If you are comparing new duplex homes and parking is part of the decision, we can help you check the permit zone, the parking spaces and the street for each home on your list. Browse the new homes for sale now or talk to our team.