Criteria for New Pay and Display or Permit Parking Schemes

The purpose of a Pay and Display and Permit Parking Scheme is to eliminate long term commuter/business parking in residential areas. 

Initial Request:

Dublin City Council will proceed with the preparation of a Pay and Display and Permit Parking Scheme and subsequent ballot of residents where it is first established that there is a demonstrable and clear desire in favour of a scheme and in accordance with the criteria below. This may take the form of a signed petition from households on the road. The petition must be signed by a minimum of 35% of households for the request to proceed. One household one vote.

Please note that on receipt of written supporting evidence from residents of the road, the request for a Parking Scheme will be referred to the Transport Advisory Group (TAG) for examination and report.

On referral to TAG the request will be examined in accordance with the following guidelines:

  • Suitability of the road for a Pay and Display and Permit Parking Scheme.
  • That the road is mainly residential where in excess of 80% of available on-street parking is normally occupied on inspection during business hours.
  • The road must have a minimum width of 6.5 metres for two-sided parking and a minimum width of 4.6 metres for one-sided parking to allow access for emergency services and refuse collection.  Please note that these are minimum dimensions which only provide for one lane of traffic and are only suitable for roads with low traffic volumes.
  • Dublin City Council operate a one house one vote system. A ballot paper and explanatory letter will be issued to every eligible property on the street. Properties not eligible for a parking permit under the Dublin City Council Parking Enforcement Bye Laws will not be eligible to vote in the ballot. The Bye Laws do not make provision for the issuing of parking permits to commercial entities, therefore, commercial properties are not eligible to vote.
  • Residents will be provided with a ballot paper giving a yes/ no option regarding the introduction of a permit parking scheme as well as proposed operational hours. The majority vote will determine the outcome- whichever option gets the most votes will win.
  • Where a ballot is taking place for the introduction of a new permit parking scheme residents will be provided with a cover letter, explanatory note and a map of the proposed scheme. A freepost envelope to facilitate the return of the ballot paper is also included. Please note that the map is indicative only and may be subject to change depending on change of circumstances or requirements as determined by the Council.
  • Where a ballot is taking place for the change of operational hours of an existing permit parking scheme residents will be provided with a cover letter and ballot paper.
  • When the closing date for the receipt of ballots has passed the votes are counted and the request is sent back to the Transport Advisory Group to complete all necessary statutory requirements.
  • When this process is complete residents will receive a letter outlining the results of the ballot. If residents have voted to introduce a new permit parking scheme they will be provided with all necessary information and application forms along with a start letter indicating the proposed start date of the new permit parking scheme. 

It is important to note that a Parking Scheme cannot be recommended on a road where the minimum width is less than 4.6 metres. Where a road is wide enough for a Scheme with one-sided parking only, double yellow lines will be required on the opposite side of the road.  As a result, there may be a reduction in the number of parking spaces currently available to residents. Please provide this information on the initial petition so as residents can make an informed decision in relation to the potential loss of parking on one side of the road. If a road is less than 6.5 metres and more than 4.6 metres, then parking will only be available on one side of the road.

In summary, in order to proceed with the request to introduce Pay and Display and Permit Parking, it will be necessary for the City Council to receive, in the first instance, written supporting evidence for the introduction of a Parking Scheme, such as a number of written requests or ideally a signed petition from residents of the road, giving signatures and addresses, indicating their clear support for such a Scheme. This should be 35% of the households concerned. 

Please note that the same process applies to a request to extend the operational hours of an existing pay & display/ permit parking scheme. The only difference is that an examination and report from TAG will not be required.

 

The ballot process

If a request meets the criteria above it will be passed on to Parking Enforcement to facilitate a ballot of residents concerned. This ballot is confidential and separate to the petition which was submitted with the initial request. 

 

Additional information

If a ballot results in a draw, the proposed introduction of a permit parking scheme will not go ahead as a majority was not received. 

If residents vote to introduce a pay & display/ permit parking scheme it can take a number of months from the closing date of the ballot for the scheme to be implemented on the street. 

The introduction of a scheme will necessitate the installation of appropriate signage and possibly a parking meter on the street. The location of these are determined by the Traffic Officer and requests for relocation will not be considered. 

Please note that a maximum of 3 operational hours options can fit on a ballot for a new permit parking scheme. The options are:

Monday- Friday 7am- 7pm

Monday- Saturday 7am- 7pm

Monday- Saturday 7am- Midnight

Monday- Sunday 7am- 7pm

Monday-  Sunday 7am- Midnight

If residents wish to request that specific options appear on the ballot paper they can do so at the application stage. If no preferences are indicated residents will be offered options that are in line with surrounding pay& display/ permit parking schemes. 24 hour options are not available. 

Eligibility for parking permits is determined by the Dublin City Council Parking Control Bye Laws 2024. Under these Bye Laws residents of large apartment complexes, both private and Council owned, are not eligible for parking permits. Further eligibility information can be found in the Bye Laws.