Parking

Residential Parking on Private Property

Heat Warning for Hamilton effective July 11, 2025

City of Hamilton reaches tentative agreement with HOWEA

How to Report

Illegally Parked Vehicles on your Property?

To file a complaint :

During weekdays, evenings and weekends, call the Parking Office at 905-540-6000.
On Sundays from 5:45 am to 10 pm (including holidays), call Hamilton Police Services at 905-546-4925.

Rules for parking on your property

Rules for parking on your property, as per the Zoning By-law 05-200, include:

Parking on or over sidewalks or on a boulevard between the sidewalk and roadway is not permitted.
Vehicles must be parked on an approved surface such as concrete, asphalt or gravel. It is a violation to park a vehicle on the front lawn. Vehicles should be parked on a driveway or on the street where permitted.

Is water is running from your neighbour's driveway onto your property or your neighbour is building their driveway on your property? Driveway disputes may be a civil matter.

Report Illegally Parked Vehicles

Residential Boulevard Parking

The Private Property Parking program allows you to report vehicles parking on your property without your consent. Vehicles may be ticketed or removed at the expense of the vehicle owner.

Call Hamilton Municipal Parking System Office at 905-540-6000

Signage required to support enforcement on private property must be suitably posted on all properties except:

operating farms and the lands
single dwellings
duplexes
triplexes
on areas not set aside for the parking of motor vehicles (i.e., grass)

Signage may be displayed in an:

Entranceway plan - all access and exit points must be signed with a 24 by 30 inch sign
Interior plan - a sign must be posted in view of the vehicle illegally parked

If you own a residential property with three or more dwellings, call 905-540-6000 for information about proper signage and forms that allow us enforce. If you own a residential property with less than three dwellings, signage is not necessary, but we can advise on authorization forms that may need to be completed.

By-law Enforcement

Enforcement of this by-law is provided on a complaint basis. These people can request enforcement:

Property owner, including spouse or same sex partner - require photo ID
Authorized agent of the owner - require authorization letter and photo ID
Property manager - require business card and photo ID
Occupant - require lease or letter and photo ID; agreement must include parking spaces if property is not wholly leased
President of the Board, Condominium Corporations – require photo ID
A person who has legal authority - require photo ID
Uniformed security officer - uniform is their identification

Please note Parking Operations will continue to issue driveway permits, however the construction of new or existing driveway approach ramps will be deferred to the 2025 construction season.

If you want to park on your own property, the Residential Driveway Access Permit allows you to:

establish a new driveway approach
modify an existing driveway approach or culvert entrance

Permits may not be approved if the location is underneath the canopy of a City tree.

Please email [email protected] to start the application process.

There is a non-refundable application fee of $489. This cost includes HST and is subject to annual fee increases.

Driveway Access & Residential Boulevard Parking Application(PDF, 73.21 KB)

Residential Driveway Access Approval Guide(PDF, 259.45 KB)

Once your application is submitted staff will contact you.

Once you receive approval from the City, you will be given:

a quote to install a concrete driveway approach or culvert entrance

Do not put asphalt on the road to create or extend a driveway approach ramp. Putting any material on the roadway without authorization from the City is against Hamilton’s Streets By-law. You will be subject to a fine up to $5,000 and all costs for removing the material.

Follow these rules for driveway approach widths:

Single vehicle driveway approaches are 2.7 to 3.6 metres wide.
Multiple vehicle driveway approaches are 5.4 to 6.1 metres wide.
The standard width of a culvert platform entrance (not the pipe) is 6 metres for residential properties.
Your driveway must be 1 metre away from a fire hydrant or hydro pole.
The City of Hamilton has a 50% green space requirement under the Zoning By-law No. 05-200. You cannot pave your entire front yard.

Repairs & Maintenance of Existing Driveway Approaches

If you have questions about existing driveway approaches or ramps such as repairs, maintenance or estimates for widening, contact Roads Operations and Maintenance by:

Call 905-546-2489
Email [email protected]

Please note Parking Operations will continue to issue driveway permits, however the construction of new or existing driveway approach ramps will be deferred to the 2025 construction season.

Residential Boulevard Parking, also known as front yard parking, allows residents of one, two and three-family dwellings to establish parking spaces in their front or side yards. These parking spaces can be either partially or entirely on city boulevard. The boulevard includes a portion of the yard between the property line and edge of the street and varies in size from home to home.

Residential boulevard parking allows residents to use a part of the City-owned boulevard for off-street parking. The need for boulevard parking is typically higher in older areas of the City where properties may have not had other off-street parking options.

Residential Driveway Boulevard Parking Requirements & Acknowledgement(PDF, 120.99 KB)

Prospective Home Buyers and Agents - City staff cannot comment on or speculate if a property will or will not qualify for boulevard parking space, without reviewing a formal application. Only current property owners may apply for residential boulevard parking.

Date modified

January 24, 2025