Parking Permits

In downtown St. Catharines, you can apply for a monthly parking permit at City-owned parking lots for a fee. Due to the high demand for parking in the downtown core, we issue parking permits on a first-come, first-served basis.

To purchase a parking permit, please visit Citizens First, located at City Hall. 

Monthly Surface Lot Permit Rates - 2026

Parking Garages

The City of St. Catharines has two parking garages that are available for daily parking. The Ontario St. Garage and The Carlisle / Garden Park Garage. For more information and to check for monthly permit availability, please call Citizens First at 905.688.5600. 

How do I sign up for recurring payments?

To sign up for recurring payments, you must be purchasing a permit for one of the garages. When you visit Citizens First at City Hall to buy your initial monthly garage parking permit, you can ask for recurring payments. We accept VISA and MasterCard.

2026 monthly permits will be available to purchase for City-owned parking garages in late 2025.

Parking Permit Refund Requests

All parking permit refund requests must be submitted within the first 3 (three) business days of the month for the permit to be cancelled and a refund issued.  The City will only refund the rate for a full month of a parking permit; partial refunds will not be issued.  Receipts for original purchase must be included with this form for all surface lot refunds and non-recurring payments at the Carlisle Garage. 

All parking permit refunds will be issued by cheque to the name on the original receipt except for recurring credit card payments.  Recurring credit card payments will be refunded backed to the credit card used to make the original purchase.  The City is not responsible for mis-delivered or undeliverable mail.

Please note: Yellow hang tags must be returned to the City of St Catharines Parking Service staff before a surface lot refund will be issued.

Upon receipt of the parking permit refund request, all parking permits associated with the request will be de-activated and will cease to be in effect.

Residential parking permits are issued to residents who live in an area where there is a maximum time limit to park a vehicle on the public roadway. When a valid residential permit is displayed it is for the privilege of parking within the designated area and does not reserve a space for your vehicle. 

All permit-holders must ensure that the vehicle is moved every 12 hours according to City of St. Catharines by law 89-2000, section 205.01.10 as well as observing all other parking by-laws.

To obtain a permit please visit the Parking Services Department, Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You will need to bring your vehicle ownership and proof of residency. The cost of the annual residential parking permit is $57.25 (including HST) as per the 2026 schedule of rates and fees. Payment by cash, debit, Visa or MasterCard is accepted. The permit is valid for 12 months and you must renew the permit annually.

How to pay

You can apply for a Commercial Parking Permit which allows you to rent a meter space for the day for $30.00 (includes HST) in St. Catharines. We'll provide you with a “No Parking” bag for you to place on the meter. The vehicle parked must match the licence plate of the vehicle on the Permit.

You can apply for an Accessible Meter Parking Permit in St. Catharines, which allows you to park close to your workplace at a City-owned meter or hourly lot for the day with a valid MTO Accessible Parking Permit (APP). You must have proof of a valid APP and vehicle ownership, and display both permits. The permit is $59.60 (includes HST) and is valid for the calendar month. You can buy multiple months at one time.

You can purchase a permit in person at St. Catharines City Hall, 50 Church St.

Please note, before you can apply for an Accessible Meter Parking Permit, you must have your APP. You can apply for an Accessible Parking Permit (APP) through Service Ontario.

An APP also allows you to park for a maximum of three hours at a parking meter, or hourly parking lot, owned by the City of St. Catharines for free. 

Even with an APP, you must still follow the requirements set in the Highway Traffic Act and our City by-laws.

If you're an eligible veteran who's a resident of St. Catharines, you can apply for a free, annual Veteran's Parking Permit if you don't have an official veteran's licence plate (Poppy Plate). You can park up to three hours at any City-owned meter or hourly lot free of charge if you have a Veteran's Parking Permit or a Poppy Plate.

How to apply

Please complete the Veterans' Parking Permit Application and submit it to Parking Services. You can also visit a local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion or Parking Services on the second floor in City Hall to apply. The Permit is valid for the calendar year.

Poppy plates

You can exchange your current vehicle licence plates at a Ministry of Transportation Vehicle Licensing Office to obtain a veterans' Poppy Plate at no charge.