Residents’ parking permit - frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

• How do I contact parking permits?
  

  Please visit Contact us about parking permits

• Do I need a permit to park my motorcycle?
  

  In most areas of the borough, motorcyclists can park in all shared permit/pay and display bays, provided that the bay has not been suspended.

  There are however, restrictions on some streets in the Caxton Village area, see motorcycle parking in Caxton Village

• Where’s my PIN number?
  

  If you're eligible to renew online we’ll send you a PIN number in your reminder letter or email in the month your permit is due to expire. 

  We'll only include a PIN number in the reminder if you are a current permit holder, registered for council tax and your name is on the council tax account. You also have to be up to date with your council tax payments and have made no changes to your permit in the last 12 months. 

  If your reminder letter or email doesn't include a PIN number please use the paper application form to renew your permit. The renewal process is the same as applying for the first time. 

• What is a resident permit free or car free address housing development? 
  

  New housing developments often have ‘permit free’ conditions as part of their planning approval. This means that if you move to a new property, you may not be eligible for an on-street parking permit. 

  Some developers provide off-street parking for new housing. Other developments are only approved on condition that residents won’t be eligible for parking permits. 

  This is to protect our current residents from increased parking stress. Once a development has been approved with a permit-free condition, this cannot be changed. It is the developer and/or your landlord’s responsibility to make you aware of this condition when you buy or rent a property. 

  For more information see Car free developments

• Permit free or car free address visitor permit 
  

  The car free address visitor permit is issued to addresses that are blocked from applying from a residents permit.

  Residents who live at addresses that are not eligible for resident permits, can apply for a car free address visitor permit to activate a free session to allow their visitors to drive through the camera controlled access points on streets that are in the cleaner air neighbourhood scheme area.

  If the visitor wishes to park on street, they can then either use pay and display on street or their own RingGo account to purchase parking time on street. 

• Lower emission vehicle permits - can I get a discount if I drive a fuel-efficient vehicle?
  

  To help improve air quality and the environment, we offer a discount to low-emission car owners and a free permit if your car is fully electric. 

  Please make sure you're eligible for these permits before you complete the application. If you're not eligible, we cancel your application and you have to submit a new one. 

  See lower emissions vehicles to find out if you're eligible. 

• Is there a limit to the number of residents’ permits available to each household?
  

  All adults in a household are able to buy a residents' permit at a cost of £119 per year for a vehicle registered in their name. However, any resident requiring a permit for a second vehicle registered in his/her name would have to buy a second permit at a higher cost. 

• Who can’t apply for a residents’ permit? 
  

  You can’t apply if you: 

  • live in a permit-free housing development 
  • have three or more unpaid penalty charge notices, in your name or for the vehicle in the application, that are beyond the appeal stage 
  • own a property in H&F but spend the majority of your time at a different address 
  • have a valid permit for their vehicle in any other local authority 
  • don’t live in a controlled parking zone e.g. the Imperial Wharf development 
  • own a vehicle not registered with the DVLA within six months of arriving in the UK 
  • don’t have a permanent address is in Hammersmith & Fulham, for example visitors, traders, property developers, domestic staff such as a nanny 
  • drive a vehicle designed for more than 12 passengers (not counting the driver) and or a vehicle over 2.28m high. 

• Will owning a parking permit guarantee me the right to park outside my house? 
  

  No. We cannot reserve parking spaces for groups or individuals. However, by preventing commuters from parking in your area, controlled parking zones make it much more likely that you’ll find a parking space near home. 

• Is my Blue Badge valid in controlled parking zones? 
  

  Yes. As a Blue Badge holder you are entitled to: 

  • free and unlimited parking in all shared-use bays and pay and display bays 
  • a three-hour exemption from the waiting ban on single and double yellow lines if you do not cause an obstruction and there is no loading ban. 

  Please make sure that you clearly display both your disabled badge and clock, and that your clock is set to your arrival time. 

• Where can’t I park with my permit? 
  

  Your residents parking permit does not allow you to park in the following bays:

  • blue badge holders 
  • personalised disabled permit holders 
  • motorcycles 
  • taxis 
  • parking bays restricted to pay and display users only 
  • diplomatic vehicles 
  • doctors 
  • traders 
  • loading by goods vehicles only

  • any parking bay that has been suspended. 

  
  Your parking permit does not allow you to park within some housing estates or on private roads. 

• Can I park with a trailer attached to my vehicle?
  

  No. Attaching a trailer makes the permit invalid and you may be fined. 

• Why can’t I get a parking permit for my high vehicle? 
  

  We do not issue permits for vehicles over 2.28m in height. This policy is in place in order to stop overshadowing caused by parked high vehicles, especially in properties with windows close to the road.

• I have been refused a parking permit, can I appeal? 
  

  If you are unhappy with our decision, you can appeal in writing. We can’t accept appeals from residents or businesses outside the borough or from those who have been refused a permit at a permit-free property. 

• Can I have a permit if my vehicle is not registered in the UK? 
  

  The DVLA requires all foreign-registered vehicles to be registered in the UK within the first six months. This makes vehicle owners accountable for their actions.

  We support this by only offering six-month permits to all drivers of foreign-registered vehicles.

  We will not renew your permit unless you register your vehicle with the DVLA. 

• Why have I been refused a permit just because I have not paid my parking tickets?
  

  We do not issue permits to anyone who has three or more unpaid parking fines that are beyond the appeal stage. This also applies if you want to renew your existing permit. Once you’ve paid the fines, you can apply in the usual way. See parking tickets and enforcement

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