Accessible, motorcycle and EV parking in Vancouver

Accessible parking

The City puts accessible parking in commercial districts and high-density residential areas, choosing spaces that are easier to get to, and says it adds new ones every year. The spaces are signed with the universal disability symbol, and accessible meters have blue meter heads.

Who can use them

• A vehicle displaying a valid permit. The City says any vehicle displaying a SPARC placard or a recognized equivalent may use its accessible spaces.
• Only while carrying the permit holder. Under the province’s Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, it’s an offence to park in an accessible zone with a permit displayed unless the vehicle is there to transport a person with disabilities. A permit can’t be lent to anyone else.
• Displayed where it can be seen. Hang the permit from the rear-view mirror so it’s visible through the windshield, or put it on the dashboard in front of the driver. On a motorcycle, attach it to the windshield or display it somewhere else that’s easy to see. SPARC BC says holders must also carry the wallet card issued with the permit.
• Visitors. A vehicle with an out-of-province licence plate and valid disability parking identification from its home jurisdiction is treated as displaying a permit. SPARC BC says agreements give visitors with a valid permit from home the same rights in B.C., and it can issue a temporary B.C. permit for your stay if you send documentation from your home issuing agency ($31). A SPARC BC permit is in turn recognized across Canada, in the United States and in several other countries.

Paying and time limits

A permit doesn’t make a meter free: the City says you still have to pay. In the City’s meter data, 100 PayByPhone zones are reserved for accessible parking, and you pay for them like any other meter: by app, by phone, or at the meter or pay station. Their daytime rates run from $1.50 to $6.50 an hour, most often $1.50 or $2.00.

• Metered spaces. 68 of the 100 zones allow 2 hours by day and 28 allow 3 hours. In the evening (6 to 10 PM), almost all allow 4 hours.
• Unmetered spaces. 71 of the 163 accessible parking locations in the City’s accessible parking data have no meter. Many are signed with their own limit: 2 hours at 23 locations, 3 hours at 18 and 1 hour at one. A few are accessible-only at certain times, such as 8 AM–5 PM on weekdays or school days, or 8 AM–noon on Sundays.
• Resident permit zones. A vehicle displaying a valid SPARC placard may park in a residential permit zone for up to 3 hours.

Where they are

The City’s accessible parking data (updated Aug 24, 2026) lists 163 locations with 166 spaces. Most are in the central neighbourhoods:

City local areas, so “Downtown” includes Yaletown, Gastown and part of Chinatown. Source: City of Vancouver open data, Accessible parking, updated Aug 24, 2026.

Tickets and misuse

Stopping in an accessible-only space without a permit is a $200 ticket, or $140 if paid within 14 days (Street and Traffic By-law s.17.2(m)). The City’s ticket records show 3,128 of these tickets in 2025 and 1,896 from January to June 2026.

The permit holder can be penalized too. Under the provincial regulation, it’s an offence to lend or transfer a permit, to use one when the vehicle isn’t transporting a person with disabilities, to alter one, or to make a false statement on the application. SPARC BC warns that using an expired permit, or one that has been reported lost, can lead to a fine or a tow. To report misuse of a permit, call SPARC BC’s accessibility and enforcement line at 604-718-7734 or email accessibility@sparc.bc.ca.

Getting a disability parking permit

Under the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, permits are issued on behalf of the province by a municipality or an organization it designates, and they’re valid throughout B.C. SPARC BC has run the Parking Permit Program for People with Disabilities since 1984.

Who qualifies

SPARC BC issues a permit on a physician’s recommendation to anyone with a permanent or temporary mobility limitation who meets at least one of these conditions:

• can’t walk any distance without help from another person or a mobility aid;
• can’t walk 100 metres without risk to their health;
• has a disability that affects mobility, and specifically the ability to walk; or
• is blind or Deaf, or has a condition where safety is a consideration.

You don’t need to own a car or drive. The permit belongs to the person, not the vehicle, so it can be used in any vehicle the holder is driving or travelling in. SPARC BC issues one permit per person.

Applying and renewing

• Apply with SPARC BC’s application form, which needs a referral from a medical professional with a valid MSP number. Mail it, or scan it and email it to permits@sparc.bc.ca.
• Cost and timing. The processing fee is $31, and SPARC BC says hardship assistance is available on request. Processing takes 2 to 3 weeks from when the application arrives.
• Renewing a permanent permit. Renew online through SPARC BC’s portal, by phone, in person at its Burnaby office, or with the form it mails you, starting 5 weeks before the permit expires. A permanent permit that expired more than 24 months ago means applying again.
• Lost or stolen. Tell SPARC BC right away. A replacement costs $31, and for a stolen permit you’ll also need a police report.
• Motorcycle riders get a decal instead of a placard, through the same application. Call SPARC BC to apply for one.

SPARC BC’s permit line is 604-718-7744 (toll-free 1-888-718-7794).

Motorcycle parking

The City’s meter data has 137 PayByPhone zones reserved for motorcycles, and they’re the cheapest meters in the city. By day, the most common rates are $0.75 an hour (44 zones) and $1.00 (27); the highest is $3.25. That compares with $2.00, the most common daytime rate on regular meters. Evening rates run $0.75 to $2.00.

• Time limits. 86 of the 137 zones have no daytime time limit, 36 allow 2 hours, and 11 allow 13 hours, the whole paid day. In the evening, 69 have no limit and 65 allow 4 hours.
• Paying. 78 of the zones have no meter on the street, so pay with the zone number in the PayByPhone or HotSpot app, or by phone. Most of the rest have single meter heads that, in the City’s data, don’t take cards.
• Where. The City’s Downtown local area, which includes Yaletown and Gastown, has the most (48 zones), followed by Mount Pleasant (22), Fairview and Kitsilano (12 each).
• Rush hour. 14 motorcycle zones have a rush-hour window when you can’t park. See the rush-hour guide.

Unmetered motorcycle parking. The City’s motorcycle parking data lists 86 more locations with no meter or zone number, and no time limit or rush-hour rule recorded. The most are on Kingsway (9), Victoria Drive (7), Cambie Street and Main Street (5 each). Our map shows metered zones only, so these aren’t on it. Check the sign when you get there.

Motorcycles can also park in regular metered spaces, which the City’s data lists for any vehicle, at the regular rate. A car in a space signed for motorcycles only can be ticketed: the Street and Traffic By-law bars stopping in a space reserved for a class of vehicle unless your vehicle is in that class (s.17.2(j)).

EV charging and EV-only spaces

The City’s charging station data (updated Sep 28, 2026) lists 35 active public stations that it owns, with 84 ports at 29 locations. Another 19 stations are listed as underway. Two prices apply:

• Level 2 (240 V, J1772 plug): $0.31 per kWh. These are at community centres, parks and curbside, including Mainland Street in Yaletown, Richards Street, Beach Avenue at Sunset Beach, and opposite the Vancouver Aquarium. At the main library parkade (775 Hamilton Street), the data says regular parking fees apply instead.
• DC fast charging (400 V): $0.38 per kWh, at the nine locations below.

Plug types as listed by the City. Source: City of Vancouver open data, Electric vehicle charging stations, updated Sep 28, 2026.

Six of the nine fast-charging locations list only CHAdeMO, the older plug. CCS is listed at three. The City says its charging data is for information only and may not reflect what’s on the ground, so check a station before you rely on it.

EV-only meters. Three PayByPhone zones are reserved for electric vehicles: 67710 in the Downtown core ($6.50 an hour by day), 69990 in Gastown ($2.50) and 51443 in Kensington-Cedar Cottage ($2.00). They have a 2-hour daytime limit and no machine on the street, so pay by app or phone.

Overnight. Regular meters are free from 10 PM to 9 AM, but the Parking Meter By-law makes an exception for electric-vehicle charging stations, which charge their own rates.

Other exemptions at meters

• Veteran’s and Memorial Cross plates. These vehicles park free at any on-street pay parking space, up to the posted time limit (Parking Meter By-law s.6(7)). The City says they also park free in City-owned Park Board and EasyPark lots.
• Car-share. Members of a City-approved car-share organization can use a metered space free for up to 2 hours during their rental (s.6(6)), and one-way car-share cars can be left in metered spaces at the end of a trip under the operator’s agreement with the City (s.6(1)(d)). Check your car-share’s own rules.

Finding them on the map

On the map, open the vehicle filter (the funnel icon) and switch off “Any vehicle” to see only motorcycle (purple), accessible (blue) and EV (cyan) zones. Tap one for its rate, time limit and 5-digit zone number. The map covers metered zones only: unmetered accessible and motorcycle spaces, and the City’s EV chargers, aren’t on it. The sign on the block always takes precedence.