Permit Holders Only

Put simply, a Permit Holders Only sign indicates that only those who have a valid permit can park in the area covered by the sign. The signs often have further information written on them which will help you determine if you can park there, such as when the permit restriction is in place and which types of permit are valid.

You will often see these signs in built up areas like Manchester, where parking by the side of the road is extremely limited and only residents should park there. Usually, local residents would possess a badge which they would display to show traffic wardens carrying out their checks that they are permitted to park there. There will often be a black square with white text in it, specifying which permits are valid.

Permit holders only with indicated times

To make things a bit more confusing, you will often see signs saying something along the lines of, “Permit holders only, Mon – Sun, 8am – 8pm”. This is just an example though, as the time frames can vary drastically.

In some places, the restricted time can be just two hours in the day.

Looking at the sign in the image here, it means you cannot park your vehicle there between 8am and 6:30pm on Monday to Friday, without holding a valid permit – in this case being a AM permit as indicated. You could park there on Monday at 6:31pm and then move your car by 7:59am on Tuesday morning, or you could park there on Saturday and Sunday.

Trying to find places to park in busy areas can be very tricky. In certain areas, there just isn’t enough parking available which encourages drivers – particularly those who are not local – to start looking down residential streets for a place to park up. In some streets, the signage isn’t great so the best thing to do is look at the other cars that are parked there; if there are a lot of empty spaces at a busy time of year (such as Christmas), then the chances are it’s either pay and display or it’s for permit holders only. Lots of spaces being available along a residential street during the day isn’t very common unless the area is for permit holders only.

What happens if I park in a permit holders only area without a permit?

If you park in a permit holders only area without possessing a valid permit, you will usually end up with a penalty charge notice (PCN) or fixed penalty notice (FCN) either sent to the registered owner of the vehicle or tucked under the windscreen wiper, which will include a fee to be paid. The fee can depend on the area you parked in and the council who issue it.