Accessible Parking Permits

Overview

Persons with a valid Accessible Parking Permit (APP) issued by the Ministry of Transportation are allowed to park for a maximum of three (3) hours at municipal hourly machined lots and City parking meters, free of charge. The APP must be properly displayed to ensure that the valid issue/expiry date is visible. Provincial requirements regarding the use of the permit still apply.

Persons working in Downtown St. Catharines, displaying a valid Accessible Parking Permit, are encouraged to avoid using parking meters for long-term parking. For alternative parking, please contact Parking Enforcement for details on how to purchase a monthly permit at reasonable rates.

Process

To qualify for an APP through the Ministry of Transportation, the individual must be certified by an APP program-recognized health practitioner as having one or more of the following conditions:

• Cannot walk without assistance of another person or a brace, cane, crutch, a lower limb prosthetic device or similar assistive device or who requires the assistance of a wheelchair.
• Suffers from lung disease to such an extent that forced expiratory volume in one second is less than one litre.
• Portable oxygen is a medical necessity.
• Cardiovascular disease impairment classified as Class III or Class IV to standards accepted by the American Heart Association or Class III or IV according to the Canadian Cardiovascular Standard.
• Severely limited in the ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, musculoskeletal or orthopaedic condition.
• Visual acuity is 20/200 or poorer in the better eye with or without corrective lenses or whose greatest diameter of the field of vision in both eyes is 20 degrees or less.
• Condition(s) or functional impairment that severely limits his or her mobility.

There are a few different accessible permits that the Ministry will issue and they are: permanent, temporary, traveller, and company.

Do you have questions or concerns about the proper or appropriate use of an Accessible Parking Permit?  Please click the button in the top right corner of this page for information on the appropriate use of an Accessible Parking Permit.

Fees

For more information about getting or replacing an accessible parking permit, visit the Ministry of Transportation's web page.

Visit the Ministry of Transportation