Parking Exemptions Policy

The purpose of the draft Parking Exemptions Policy is to outline the types of parking exemptions available to members of the community in Invercargill. These exemptions help to support accessibility to the city for older people and those living with disabilities, as well as being a way to make it easier to hold certain events or for members of the public to attend Council.

Currently we have two separate policies which extend parking exemptions to older people in our community, as well as giving Council the ability to grant parking exemptions to support significant events. This new policy combines these policies, updates them to reflect the current parking and ePermit enforcement system, and formalises some existing arrangements.

Previously there has been some confusion around how often to re-apply for Over 80s permits, as well as the number of vehicles that can be allocated per permit. We have clarified in the policy that Over 80s exemptions will expire after 2 years, and will need to be reapplied for on expiry, and that up to 2 vehicles can be registered per person.

Council has also received feedback that other centres offer longer parking for Mobility Parking Permit holders, and there is confusion about whether a similar exemption is applicable here. We also know that Mobility Parking Permit holders may need a little longer to return to their vehicle than others. We are therefore proposing to offer an additional 30 minutes of free parking for Mobility Parking Permit holders, over and above the parking they have paid for or activated (including any free parking).

We want to continue to offer parking permits for special circumstances, such as significant events. The Policy also formalises the arrangements for guests who are attending Council for meetings or events, which has been handled on a case-by-case basis previously. Members of the public would be able to contact Council to request free parking to make it a bit easier to participate in important meetings or events.

Finally, we’re also suggesting introducing a new type of parking exemption which could be granted to someone who has made a meaningful contribution to the city, as a way of saying thank you. We are particularly interested to hear from the community on this point – is this something you would like to see? Do you have ideas about how it could be managed?

Let us know below what you think about our proposed policy.

Submissions close July 4 2025