Parking Management Policy

We've created a fairer Parking Management Policy to support liveability and contribute to our City’s economic vitality.

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Parking Management Policy

Download the Parking Management Policy - Adopted February 2020, updated August 2024 (PDF 701 KB)

Our municipality has changed considerably since the last Parking Permit Policy was developed nearly 20 years ago.

We are at a defining moment in the City of Port Phillip’s history, with our current population projected to grow 41 per cent to 159,450 people by 2036 (Victoria in Future 2019). This population growth will impact the entire Port Phillip community, including residents, businesses and their employees and visitors.

We want a City where residents, workers and visitors have lots of travel choices that support liveability, promote health and wellbeing and contribute to the City’s economic vitality.

We know the projected population growth will most notably be felt in our streets. Every additional car based in our City increases traffic congestion and the need for parking, as well as impacting the time spent travelling within and throughout Port Phillip.

Objectives and delivery

The Policy provides a framework for the ongoing management of our existing 53,000 on-street and 4,000 Council-managed off-street spaces used for parking.

The overarching objectives of the Policy are to:

address the City’s existing and future growth and transport challenges
provide fairer and more reliable access to parking in all locations and at all times.

These will be delivered via four key settings:

hierarchy of parking allocation
parking availability targets
demand responsive pricing
parking permit management.

These settings will allow for ongoing monitoring and evaluation as well as transparent reporting.

Summary of changes

Residential parking permit areas

Introduce residential parking permit areas in response to variations in demand and availability on specific days, rather than the current surrounding streets model to create fairer and more flexible places for residents to park near their homes that aim to:

better meet local parking demand
reduce frustration and traffic congestion caused by not being able to find a space
make parking more accessible to the whole community when and where it's needed.

More information, including maps of each area, can be found on Residential parking permit areas.

Existing permit holder entitlements

In many locations across our City, there are now significantly more parking permits issued than there are available spaces.

This has led to residents finding it difficult to find a space close to where they live, which has prompted changes to parking permit provisions. These changes are designed to better manage and respond to supply and demand and to promote use of existing off-street parking resources to reduce pressure on local parking availability.

Existing applicants are defined as 'residents who reside at the same eligible property and held any number of current valid Resident, Visitor and Combined Parking Permits on the Policy implementation date (1 July 2021)'.

As endorsed by Council in August 2024, existing applicants will retain access the following permit types until the current Policy expires in 2028, or until further changes are directed by Council.

Permit type	Maximum number
Resident, Combined and Visitor Parking Permits	3 (any combination of the permit types, with a maximum of 2 Visitor permits)
Foreshore Parking Permit	3 (for each combined parking permit at an eligible property, this number is reduced by 1)

New applicant entitlements

New applicants are defined as 'any applicant applying for permits at an eligible property for the first time after the Policy implementation date (1 July 2021)'.

The following limits apply for new applicants from 1 July 2021.

Permit type	Maximum number
Resident or Combined Parking Permit	2
Visitor Parking Permit	1
Foreshore Parking Permit	1 (if a combined parking permit is held at the property, no additional foreshore permits can be obtained)

Note: the permitted number of Resident or Combined Parking Permits are reduced if the eligible property has a driveway or street access via a crossover.

Parking permit provisions will be reduced for residents with off-street carparking accessed by a driveway directly from the street to the property, as driveways remove kerb space that could otherwise be utilised for car spaces from the local on-street supply.

If the driveway or crossover is:

less than six metres wide, the number of Resident or Combined Permits reduces by 1
more than six metres wide, the property is ineligible for Resident or Combined Permits

Where the eligible property is a higher density dwelling (apartment block, units etc) and the property has one or more driveways, the number of Resident or Combined Permits reduces by one for each dwelling.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

From 1 July 2021, a new applicant is defined as 'any applicant applying for permits at an eligible property for the first time'.
All new applicants will be able to apply for a maximum of two Resident Parking Permits and up to one Visitor Parking Permit.
However, if the property has a crossover or driveway, then the number of permits is reduced as below:
- An eligible single dwelling with a crossover or driveway less than six metres in width will be eligible for one Resident or Combined Parking Permit and one Visitor Parking Permit
- An eligible single dwelling with a crossover or driveway more than six metres in width won’t be eligible for any Resident or Combined Parking Permits, however can still access one Visitor Parking Permit
- Higher-density developments built prior to 1 October 2002 with a driveway will be eligible for one Resident or Combined Parking Permit and one Visitor Parking Permit.
From 1 July 2021, all new applicants (any applicant applying for permits at an eligible property for the first time) will be able to apply for a maximum of two Resident Parking Permits and up to one Visitor Parking Permit.
However, if the property has a crossover or driveway, then the number of permits is reduced as below:
- An eligible single dwelling with a crossover or driveway less than six metres in width will be eligible for one Resident or Combined Parking Permit and one Visitor Parking Permit
- An eligible single dwelling with a crossover or driveway more than six metres in width won’t be eligible for any Resident or Combined Parking Permits, however can still access one Visitor Parking Permit
- Higher-density developments built prior to 1 October 2002 with a driveway will be eligible for one Resident or Combined Parking Permit and one Visitor Parking Permit.
Any eligible residential property that has a crossover or driveway less than six metres in width will be eligible for one Resident or Combined Parking Permit and one Visitor Parking Permit after 1 July 2021.
If you already hold parking permits for this property prior to 1 July 2025, you will be able to retain access to your existing permits (please refer to existing permit holder entitlements section above).
If you will require more than one permit after 1 July 2025, you have the option of removing your crossover and returning the off-street space to on-street parking space.
Yes, all residential properties are eligible for Foreshore Parking Permits. The following limits apply from 1 July 2021:
- New applicants can apply for one Foreshore Parking Permit (limit of one permit per property).
- Existing permit holders can apply for up to three Foreshore Parking Permits (limit of three permits per property). This will be reduced to a maximum of one Foreshore Parking Permit with the implementation of an e-permit solution, which may occur before 1 July 2025.
From 1 July 2025, all residential properties will be eligible for a maximum of one Foreshore Parking Permit.
Consultation on the draft Parking Management Policy took place over five weeks, from 7 October to 10 November 2019.
The community was given the opportunity to provide feedback on the Policy online via Have Your Say, directly to Council officers via email, and in person at any of four workshops and intercept surveying on the streets of Port Phillip.
The engagement report and detailed information about the community engagement process is available on Have Your Say.
Vehicle crossovers are the responsibility of the owner of the property they access. They can be removed at the resident’s cost and replaced with an on-street parking space.
In order to remove a vehicle crossover, you need to obtain consent from Council by applying for Working within road reserves consent.
Our Engineering standard drawings provide the detailed information you’ll need to design, construct, or reinstate our assets.

Permit fees and revenue

Local roads including on-street parking spaces, are funded by Council with very little funding from other levels of government. Parking fees and permit fees help to maintain these road and parking assets.

The City of Port Phillip doesn’t incorporate these fees into our rates charges. Only those who use the parking spaces pay for their use.

Fees and charges

Information on fees for all permit types is available at parking permits explained.

More parking permit information

To access more information about parking permits in the City of Port Phillip, please visit parking permits explained.

For any questions or more information, contact us.

Parking Management Policy