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To keep everyone moving safely - pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and transit users - the City enforces parking regulations through education, signage, and enforcement of parking rules. The City's Municipal By-law officers patrol 24/7, year-round.
On-street parking on City streets is permitted for up to 3 hours at a time.
*Note: A two-hour grace period is allowed on City streets (for a total of 5 hours of consecutive parking). Time limits are enforced between 6 a.m. and midnight.
Note: This does not apply to Regional roads.
Quick links:
You cannot park on City streets, even without signs:
If your vehicle is found to be in violation of the City's parking by-laws, you may be issued a parking ticket (also known as a parking infraction notice), and your vehicle may be towed at your own expense.
Learn more about paying or challenging parking tickets.
To pay a non-parking by-law ticket online please visit our non-parking ticket payment portal.
Parking regulations are enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How to report a parking violation:
During business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.):
Call us at 519-623-1340
For non-urgent issues: Email us anytime to report a concern at bylaw@cambridge.ca
Outside of business hours:
If the violation poses an immediate safety hazard, please contact Waterloo Regional Police Service at 519-570-9777 and press 1.
Daytime and residential parking permits are available for the City's core areas.
For accessible parking permits visit Service Ontario.
Parking (short term) Exemptions
On-street parking exemptions are available to allow vehicles to park past the 5-hour limit and overnight between 12:01 a.m. and 6 a.m. for up to 15 days per calendar year, per licence plate.
To request an exemption, create an account on our online parking portal.
Exemptions are not available in the core areas with 2-hour (or less) limits. Instead, you can buy temporary parking permits for these spaces.
All exemptions are cancelled automatically during snow events.
For questions around eligibility or for assistance, contact By-law at 519-623-1340 ext. 7907 or bylaw@cambridge.ca (Mon–Fri, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
In general, there is free 2-hour parking in Cambridge's three core areas of Galt, Preston and Hespeler. Residents can park for more than 2 hours in paid parking lots or by parking in areas around the cores with 3-hour on-street parking or 12-hour free lots. Parking in the core areas is not permitted from 2:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. year-round.
To reduce the impact of on-street parking on winter maintenance activities the City has two parking restrictions specific to winter parking.
Parking is prohibited on any City street at any time (day or night) when the City of Cambridge declares a snow event. Vehicles parked on-street during a snow event can be ticketed and possibly towed.
Snow events are not limited to certain months.
Declaring a snow event
Snow Events are in effect only when posted on the City website as such. Not all snowfalls that result in plowing warrant a snow event.
Staff will give as much notice as possible of an impending snow event, attempting to make the declaration no later than 4 p.m. on the subject day whenever possible, providing time for the media outlets to broadcast the information on their 6 p.m. newscasts.
Snow Events remain in effect until the posted end time or until a cancellation is issued.
See the Snow Event Declarations page for event status and subscribe for warnings, declarations and cancellations directly to your inbox.
Snow event enforcement
Enforcement will done proactively overnight and in conjunction with clearing operations during the day. Vehicles will not be tagged and/or towed based on calls from the public. The fine amount for parking on-street during a snow event is $80.
Towing will only occur to the degree necessary to allow the snow clearing equipment access to the street to perform required duties. As such, it is possible that some cars will be towed from a street while others are not, even though all the cars are in violation of the by-law. Vehicle owners are responsible for all fees associated with towing in addition to the fine amount.
Late night parking prohibition
Between January 1 and March 15, parking is not permitted on-street from 2:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. citywide. On-street parking is still permitted after 6 a.m. and before 2:30 am for up to three hours (unless otherwise posted) so long as a snow event is not in effect.
Dropping off or picking up students can cause traffic and create safety risks—especially when cars stop or park illegally near schools. Signs for No Stopping and No Parking are in place to protect children and improve visibility for all drivers.
Help reduce traffic by encouraging students to walk or bike to school. It’s healthier, safer, and better for the environment.
Learn more about safe travel options at the Region of Waterloo's Active and Safe Routes to School page.
Is waiting allowed in a No Parking zone?
No. Waiting is not permitted in a No Parking zone - even if you remain in your vehicle.
No. Stopping or parking in these zones for those reasons is not permitted, even for a short time.
Can I park on the lower boulevard of my driveway?
No, parking is not permitted on the lower boulevard of your driveway unless you are part of the City's Lower Boulevard Parking Program. You can check if your street is included and learn more about the program here.
If your property is part of the program, you may park on the paved portion of your lower boulevard, parallel to the street and facing the direction of traffic. Please make sure you are not parked over grass, over the sidewalk, or into the roadway.
Important: If your driveway is close to an intersection or corner, you may not park on the lower boulevard - even if your street is included in the program - because it may block sightlines and create a safety hazard.
Does the City offer Parking Exemptions?
Yes. On-street parking in Cambridge is only permitted for up to three hours at a time. You can request an exemption to this restriction for a maximum of 15 days per license plate, per calendar year. As of July 2019, a 2 hour grace period on top of the 3-hour limit is in effect for City streets and time limits will only be enforced between 6am and midnight. These enforcement modifications do not apply to Regional roads. We don't provide on-street parking exemptions in the downtown core areas where there is a two-hour or less parking limit.
I need to park longer in the core areas, what can I do?
Permit parking is available in many parking lots in Cambridge's core areas (Galt, Hespeler, Preston). We issue permits that are only valid for one specific parking lot for up to one year. Only a limited number of permits are available for each parking lot, issued on a first come, first served basis. The City offers Daytime, Residential, Commercial(24H) and temporary permits. Temporary permits are available for as little as one day, and up to three months. Additionally, there are multiple pay-by-plate parking lots which can be used for extended daytime and nighttime parking.
Can I work on my vehicle in the street?
No. Repairing, washing, or maintenance of vehicles is prohibited on City streets. Vehicles must also be licensed and in working condition to use street parking.
Can parking be removed from my street?
To improve traffic operations, emergency response times and emergency access, the City applies its on-street parking standards. The standards require a minimum road width of 10 m to support parking on both sides of a road and a minimum of 8 m to support parking on one side of the road.
The on-street parking standards do not allow for parking on streets less than 8 m wide, which (if implemented) would result in the removal of most on-street parking in the City's historic neighbourhoods. To balance traffic movement and parking the City adopted the On-Street Parking Standards Exemption Policy, which allows parking to be maintained on one side of existing streets with a road width greater than 6 m and traffic volumes below 500 vehicles per day. To access this policy, please email transportation@cambridge.ca with your request.
If your street does not conform to the on-street parking standards, you can request a review of your street by emailing transportation@cambridge.ca
Where are the "no idling zones" in Cambridge, and what are the rules?
The City enforces "no idling zones" through its Anti-Idling By-law. These zones include all Cambridge public and Catholic school sites, City Hall (including adjacent streets and parking lots), as well as City-owned arenas, libraries, pools, seniors’ centres, and parks. The by-law limits engine idling to one minute, and violations can result in a $40 fine.
