| Who can purchase a permit? |
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Permits are available to any St. Catharines resident, with a limit of two per household. You must live within the municipality of St. Catharines to receive a permit. Both permits cannot be used in the same lot (Sunset Beach or Lakeside Park) at the same time.
Permits are open to residents only, individuals who reside elsewhere but own property in the City are not eligible and will not be issued a permit.
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| What is required if I am homeowner in St. Catharines? |
You must live at your St. Catharines address to be eligible. If you own your home, you will be required to:
- Provide your tax roll number and your name exactly as it appears on your tax bill, including capitalization, if two names appear enter only the name that appears first
- Submit a copy of your vehicle registration showing your St. Catharines address if you own your home.
- Enter your vehicle plate number (Owners will be subject to a penalty notice if the plate number is entered incorrectly and possible additional charge to update correct information)
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| What is required if I am a tenant in St. Catharines |
You must live at your St. Catharines address to be eligible. If you are a tenant you will be required to:
- Submit a copy of your vehicle registration. A St. Catharines address is preferred but not required
- Submit a recent (past month) utility bill, including phone bill, or lease agreement proving residency
- Enter your vehicle plate number. Owners will be subject to a penalty notice if the plate number is entered incorrectly and possible additional charge to update correct information.
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| What do parking permits provide? |
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Permits allow residents to park from May 1 to Sept. 30, with no time limit at the Lakeside Park and Sunset Beach parking lots. Permits will not provide for on-street / metered parking and do not guarantee a space when lots are full. Resident permits cannot be used to park in the Sunset Beach boat launch parking area.
Individuals with two permits cannot use both permits at once in either lot.
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| How will I know if my permit was approved? |
| You will receive a notification via email if your permit was approved or denied within five to seven business days. Once an approval email has been received your permit is in effect and you can park at beach lots. The permit is electronically tied to your licence plate and no paper copy is required to be displayed. |
| Why was my permit denied? Will my credit card still be charged? |
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Your credit card will only be charged once your permit is approved. It appears as a pending transaction on your credit card until approved. If your permit application has been denied, there will be no charge to your credit card
Here are some reasons you may be denied:
- Insufficient proof of residency
- Missing information (proof of residency, vehicle registration, etc.)
- A permit has already been issued under this address.
- Not identified as primary residence
- Commercial properties do not qualify
If you have any other questions on your denial of a resident parking permit, please contact beachpasses@stcatharines.ca for further information |
| When is paid parking in effect at beach lots, when is the permit used? |
| From May 1 to Sept. 30, 2023 |
| How long does it take for me to obtain a permit? |
| Depending on demand it could take five to seven business days to process an application. |
| How do I pick up / obtain my permit? |
| Your vehicle licence plate is your permit. Once you receive an approval email, your permit is active. There is no paper copy you are required to display. |
| Is last year’s paper permit still valid? |
| No, the city is moving away from paper permits to reduce inefficiencies and waste. |
| My vehicle is not registered to my address, but I live in the City (I use a company vehicle, I use a parent from out of town’s vehicle, I use a caregiver’s vehicle, etc.) |
| Resident tenants are entitled to two permits per household, even if their vehicles are registered to a non-St. Catharines address. They must still submit ownership for the vehicles they wish to register to the permit and must also provide proof of residency alongside the ownership documents. Proof of residency could be a lease agreement or recent utility bill. |
| I only submitted one ownership but want to register / add another vehicle. |
| You can log back into your account via the application link on this page and add another vehicle for a fee. |
| I submitted the wrong documentation, now what? |
| Your application will be denied and an email will be sent to you. You can sign back into your account and update your account with the correct documentation |
| I need help applying for my beach parking permit using the new parking portal |
| Please call Citizens First at 905.688.5600 to help walk you through the process or consult our online video walkthrough on this page. |
| Where is the email confirming my account is set up? I have not received an email my permit has been approved or denied? |
| Be sure to check your junk and spam email folders. It is possible the email from the Blinkay app was directed there. |
| I own property in the City but do not reside in St. Catharines (for example I am a landlord) |
| Permits are being issued for residents only. Tenants, as residents of the City, are
entitled to the pass for the home / property.
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| I live in another Niagara municipality, and pay taxes to the Region, why am I
not entitled to a permit?
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| With the City moving forward on improvements to provide a safer and more enjoyable
beach experience, the parking fees for non-St. Catharines residents are a way for these
beach users to contribute to supporting the recreational infrastructure. Regional taxes
do not support maintenance or investments into City beaches. Beaches remain free to
access for all visitors and free parking is offered offsite with connections to beaches via
sidewalks and trails. Non-residents can pay $3 per hour fee to park for a maximum of three hours at beach lots.
Exceeding your time limits will result in a ticket.
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| I would like to launch my boat / seadoo at the Sunset Beach Boat Launch, does my resident parking permit allow for this? |
| No, resident beach parking permits are for vehicles parked in the main Sunset Beach lot and Lakeside Park lots and not valid in the boat launch area. Those with a trailer have a designated parking area near the boat launch. Both residents and non-residents will be required to pay $3 per hour for three hour maximum or apply for a boat launch season permit.
Boat Launch permits are $100 for the season (May 1 to Sept. 30) You can visit St. Catharines City Hall at 50 Church St. to pay and pick up your boat launch permit. More information on required documentation can be found below on this page.
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| I have a canoe/paddle boat (no trailer) do I require a season boat launch permit? |
| No, only those with a trailer are required to pay the parking fees or season launch permit fee. Those without a trailer can park at the beach lot using either a resident parking permit with no time limit or paying $3 per hour for a maximum of three hours. |
| I don’t have a computer, email, and/or credit card, how do I apply for my Parking Permit? |
| Applying through the online portal with an email and credit card is the quickest way to obtain your permit – this method is strongly encouraged. If necessary, residents can come in person to the second floor of City Hall at the Parking Service Counter to apply with the help of a staff member. An email or phone number is recommended in order for the City to contact to you. Please ensure you have the necessary documentation required when you visit City Hall.
If you own your home and live in St. Catharines you will need:
- Identification
- Vehicle Registration
If you are a St. Catharines tenant you will need:
- Identification
- Vehicle Registration
- Lease or recent (past month) utility bill
Additionally, you can ask a friend or family member to assist you in applying online.
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| I am a Port Dalhousie business located within the vicinity of the Lakeside Park lot, am I entitled to a parking permit? |
| Businesses in Port Dalhousie are entitled to two, $15 parking permits each. Businesses are required to come into City Hall to apply and pay for their permit at the second-floor parking service counter. The permit only exempts the vehicle from payment and time restrictions that are in place the Lakeside Park parking lot. It does not exempt the vehicle from parking within any other metered parking area or for a period extending longer than the posted time limit. |
| Why has the City introduced the $15 charge for resident permits? |
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In 2021 the City introduced paid parking at beach lots to help pay for maintenance and improvements of beaches, primarily recouping costs from out-of-town visitors whose taxes don’t support St. Catharines beaches. In 2021 a free beach pass for St. Catharines residents whose taxes support beach operations was introduced to ensure they can easily access beaches paid for through their taxes.
Upon reviewing the 2021 pilot permit program it was revealed significant resources were used to administer the program. Rather than spread those resource costs across the entire tax base, including those who don’t apply for a permit, the decision was made to charge a small administrative fee to cover the program’s costs solely from those who obtain a permit.
Beach access remains free to everyone. There is a seasonal (annual) cost of $15 per vehicle to park at beaches for residents. Non-residents and those without passes are subject to parking rates of $3 per hour with a maximum length of three hours.
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| I pay taxes already, why do I have to pay for a beach pass? |
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The City introduced the resident beach parking permit program in 2021 as a pilot project. The introduction was to ensure residents could still park for a low cost at beaches without a time limit as parking fees were introduced to ensure out of town users assist in funding beaches.
Upon reviewing the 2021 pilot program it was found that considerable staff resources outside normal workloads were required to administer it. That cost was born by all taxpayers in 2021. Rather than continue that trend the City decided to institute a fee in 2022 as we streamline the application process and move to an electronic permit. However, rather than passing that cost off to all taxpayers, we decided to institute a small fee so only those who use the permit program pay for improvements to it. Simply put the fee means only those who need a permit pay for it, not all taxpayers, many of whom won’t apply for a permit to utilize beach lots.
This is not dissimilar to a variety of other City programs. For example, arena costs are passed along to arena users via rental and program fees.
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| If you gave out 14,000 passes in 2021, and passes are now $15, won’t the city be making $210,000 |
| With the institution of a fee the City projects less individuals will apply. Many individuals who may not have even attended the beach in 2021 still applied due to the free nature.
Based on projections the City expects the revenues to cover the cost of the new electronic permitting system, and staff resources to better administer beach parking.
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| What if I do not want to, or can’t afford, to pay for a permit or parking? What if I am an out-of-town visitor who wants to visit the beach for more than three hours? |
| Free offsite parking with no time limit is available near both Lakeside Park beach and Sunset Beach. Visitors can utilize active transportation connections to access beaches from these lots. Maps of offsite parking and trail connections can be found at stcatharines.ca/BeachParking
Alternatively, visitors can use public transit to access beaches.
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| I entered my name from my tax bill as it appears and the system is not accepting it? |
| Ensure the name is entered in all capital letters. Additionally, if two names appear on your tax bill use the one that appears first (on top) |
| Why is my tax roll number not being accepted? |
| Make sure you input your tax roll number without periods, and without the 2629 prefix at the start of the number. |
| I want to purchase a second permit but the system automatically used the credit card information from my first permit purchase, can I use a different card for each permit purchase? |
| At this time the system automatically uses the first card entered and tied to you account. A future update to the system will include the ability to use different cards for each purchase. |
| Can I use Visa Debit? |
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At this time Visa Debit is not accepted. If you do not have a credit card you can apply and pay in person on the second floor of City Hall.
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What if I have not yet received a property tax statement, how can I apply as a homeowner?
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Please email beachpasses@stcatharines.ca to have the necessary tax roll information provided.
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Why can't I apply for a permit over the phone?
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The application process requires supporting documentation for the City to verify residency and vehicle ownership. There is no way for the City to validate these documents over the phone.
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