Between November 15 and April 1, the City may declare a Winter Weather Parking Ban for inclement weather.
Inclement weather including freezing rain or when Environment Canada forecasts 7 cm or more of snow in the Ottawa area. This includes any forecast for a range of snow more than 7 cm, such as 5 to 10 cm. The Winter Weather Parking Ban will be called to support clearing operations and will continue until the City issues notice that it has been lifted.
Vehicles without a residential parking permit that are parked on the street during a parking ban will be ticketed and towed.
When a winter weather parking ban is made, the City issues a special advisory to the local media and posts it on ottawa.ca. The parking ban ends when snow clearing is completed and the City issues an advisory indicating that it has been lifted.
Stay informed
- Sign up for Winter Parking e-Alerts to receive e-mail notification of overnight parking bans.
- Follow the City of Ottawa Winter Parking Alerts on Twitter (@ottawacity)
Is a winter parking ban currently in effect?
Four other ways you can find out if a winter overnight parking restriction is currently in effect:
- Going to the City’s homepage for Seasonal Alerts
- Going to the City's online newsroom for special advisories about on-street parking restrictions
- Calling 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401)
- Tuning in to local media for announcements about overnight parking restrictions
Free off-street parking in city-owned parking garages
Residents can park overnight for free at City-owned parking garages when there is a winter weather parking ban in effect. This option is available to ensure that residents have an easily accessible and practical place to park while a ban is in effect. Refer to the map and table below for locations that apply.
Also note that free overnight parking in city garages does not apply to planned snow removal operations.
Gate controlled garages
- Vehicles entering garage must take a ticket
- Between 4 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. the exit gates will be raised and free exit will be granted
- All vehicles that do not exit between 4 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. will be required to pay regular parking rates for the total time of their stay.
- Payment must be made at kiosk or at exit from the garage
