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Parking in Coquitlam
The City manages parking to support safe, accessible and well-functioning streets for residents, businesses and visitors. Parking rules and programs help clarify:
- Where you can park
- When and how to pay for parking
- How to manage tickets, permits, and parking-related concerns
By understanding and following parking guidelines, you can help keep Coquitlam’s streets operating smoothly so they are accessible for everyone.
Tickets and Towing
Bylaw Enforcement Notices (tickets) must be paid or disputed within 14 days of the date the ticket is issued. If you do not pay or dispute in time, the full ticket penalty becomes immediately payable. Visit our Bylaw Enforcement Notices, Disputes & Adjudication webpage for more information.
Find a Towed Vehicle
The City may tow vehicles without warning when they are found to be parked in such a way that access, or public safety is compromised such as:
- In front of a fire hydrant
- In a marked fire zone or fire lane
- Over a pedestrian crosswalk
- Blocking access to commercial or residential driveways
- On a public street and is unlicensed
If your vehicle has been impounded, contact Coquitlam Towing at 604-939-6474.
Pay Parking
Pay parking is in effect in a number of high-demand areas in Coquitlam. Pay parking is offered both on the street, and at City managed lots, and supports timely vehicle turnover when demand is high. Pay regulations are not in effect on Sundays or statutory holidays.
Street Parking
Managing on-street parking in City Centre and other busy areas of Coquitlam helps ensure parking is available, safe, and fair for everyone. Paid and time-restricted on-street parking helps to:
- Support residents, visitors, and customers in finding available parking close to businesses, services and popular destinations.
- Balance the needs of residents, short-term visitors and service providers in busy neighbourhoods.
- Reduce vehicles circulating in search of parking, which can contribute to traffic congestion, safety risks, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
Always check posted regulatory street signs to confirm parking rules, time limits and payment requirements before leaving your vehicle.
City Lots
The city manages six pay parking lots in the City Centre and Burquitlam area. Pay parking is in effect at the below lots, except on Sundays or Statutory holidays.
| Lot Name | Address |
|---|---|
| City Centre Aquatic Complex (CCAC) | 1210 Pinetree Way |
| Evergreen Cultural Centre and Town Centre Park Community Centre (TCPCC) | 1205 and 1207 Pinetree Way |
| Pinetree Community Centre (PCC) | 1260 Pinetree Way |
| Burquitlam Park and Ride - Bettie Allard YMCA (Level P3) | 555 Emerson Street (Access from Smith Ave) |
| Guildford Park and Ride | 3038 Guildford Way |
| Lincoln Park and Ride | 3045 Lincoln Avenue |
| Maquabeak Park - Boat Launch | 5 Burbidge Street |
Real-time parking availability at some of our high-demand lots can be viewed by visiting coquitlam.ca/FindParking.
There are a number of parking options for commuters around SkyTrain stations, which include hundreds of Park and Ride parking spots in City Centre and in Burquitlam at the Coquitlam Bettie Allard YMCA facility.
You can use cash or credit card to pay for parking at pay stations across the city. If a pay station is not working, please proceed to the next working pay station and contact Engineering and Public Works to have the station fixed as soon as possible.
For your convenience, use Flowbird or Parkedin apps on your mobile device or computer, wherever you are! The City is immediately alerted of your payment.
All of our city-owned and private parking lots have designated accessible parking stalls. Vehicles are exempt from parking fees in City lots when the vehicle displays a Social Planning and Research Council (S.P.A.R.C.) placard and is parked in a spot designated for persons with disabilities. If a designated spot is not available, then regular parking fees apply. The City regularly monitors the usage of these parking spots and will increase the number if it is determined that more are needed.
Parking is free at all City managed parking lots and on the street for vehicles displaying a veteran’s licence plate. Time restrictions still apply. Please checkout these locations described above under City Lots.
Passes and Permits
Parking passes help manage parking demand while supporting access to City facilities and residential neighbourhoods.
Parking Pass
A one-year parking pass (from date of purchase) is available to Coquitlam residents for $30 and is valid for use in the parking lots at:
- City Centre Aquatic Complex
- Evergreen Cultural Centre / Town Centre Park Community Centre
- Pinetree Community Centre
Please note that the pass exempts passholders from parking fees but not for the maximum time restrictions at these lots. The parking passes are also not valid for on-street, pay and/or restricted parking.
Passes can be purchased at the City Centre Aquatic Complex, Pinetree Community Centre, or at Revenue Services in City Hall. Purchasers must provide proof of residency, a vehicle registration and a driver’s licence. Passes are non-refundable but may be transferred (fees may apply).
How to Transfer Your Pass
- Your pass shows your vehicle’s licence plate number and may be transferred for free to another vehicle with the same licence plate number, registered owner and address.
- If your licence plate changes, you will need to obtain a new pass. You will also be required to surrender your old pass and provide insurance documents for the new vehicle. A transfer fee applies.
Resident Parking Permit Zones
Effective 2026, the City no longer develops new resident parking permit zones and a number of previously existing resident parking permit zones have been eliminated. These zones created unnecessary bureaucracy for both residents and the City and reduced the overall availability and utilization of street parking.
The City will continue to review the areas that have historical resident parking permit zones and may modify or remove those zones if it is in the broader public interest. In the interim, if you live on one of the streets with an existing Resident Only Parking Zone and require a resident permit please call the Engineering and Public Works Department at 604-927-3500 or by emailing Engineering and Public Works Department.
Parking Tips, Regulations, and Bylaws
On-street parking is a valuable public asset and is a privilege granted to all road users. To facilitate appropriate vehicle turn-over, as well as the safe and efficient movement of emergency vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists on our public streets, the City has Parking Regulations. These regulations apply city wide, even on streets where no regulatory signs are posted. The below sections will help you understand the relevant regulations and avoid getting a ticket.
For complete details, you may download the full text of the Street and Traffic Bylaw No. 5499, 2026 (PDF). To submit a parking complaint or request parking enforcement in your area, Email Bylaw Services or call them at 604-927-3580.
Parking Regulations
Parking regulations in Coquitlam apply on every street, even where no signs are posted. Rules are designed to keep streets safe and accessible for everyone, ensuring clear sightlines at intersections, access for emergency vehicles and enough room for traffic to move freely.
Stopping and Parking
The City's Street & Traffic Bylaw differentiates ‘stopping’ a vehicle, from ‘parking’ a vehicle. ’Stopping‘ means any halting of a vehicle for any duration of time, whether occupied or not. ’Parking‘ means the standing of a vehicle for any duration of time, whether occupied or not, but does allow up to 5 minutes if actively loading or unloading people or material. Many of the rules below apply even if you are sitting in your vehicle.
The following rules protect access for emergency vehicles, maintain clear sightlines at intersections and crossings and keep driveways and alleys accessible.
- Stop Signs Do not stop within 6 metres of the approach side of a stop sign, which is is the side that traffic faces as it arrives at the sign.
- Intersection Do not stop within 15 meters of intersections
- Crosswalks and cross ride markings Do not stop within 6 metres of either side of a crosswalk or cross ride marking.
- Driveways and boulevard crossings Do not stop in front of or within 2 metres of the nearest side of a boulevard crossing, driveway crossing or sidewalk crossing.
- Fire hydrants Do not stop within 5 metres of a fire hydrant. The 5-metre distance is measured from the point on the curb (or edge of the road) that is closest to the hydrant, extending in both directions.
- Fire halls Do not stop within 6 metres of either side of a fire hall entrance or exit on the same side of the street, and the same 6-metre clearance on the opposite side of the street.
The following rules keep sidewalks, pathways and travel lanes clear for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.
- Do not stop:
- on a sidewalk, on a sidewalk crossing, or on a boulevard crossing at any time.
- on a multi-use pathway or in a protected cycle lane.
- in a designated use lane, such as a bus lane or HOV lane, unless your vehicle is the type designated to use that lane.
- on a crosswalk or on an area of the street marked by cross ride markings, also known as the ’elephant's feet‘ markings that indicate where cycling is permitted.
- Do not stop on any street bounded by curbs where the street is less than 6 metres wide.
- Do not stop on the paved portion of a street that has no curbs or yellow centre line if doing so would leave less than 4 metres of pavement available for other traffic.
- Do not stop on the paved portion of a street with a yellow centre line if doing so would leave less than 3 metres between the centre line and your vehicle.
- Do not stop behind the non-street-facing side of a sidewalk, multi-use pathway or barrier curb. In practical terms, this means you may not park or stop on the boulevard - the area between the barrier curb and the property line.
- Do not stop or park on a median, traffic island or traffic bulge.
- Do not stop:
- within 2 metres of an intersecting alley.
- within 2 metres of the nearest edge of the closest sidewalk on an intersecting street.
- within 5 metres of the nearest edge of the pavement on an intersecting street where no sidewalk exists.
- You must leave at least 4 metres of clear width in the alley for the free movement of vehicles.
- Do not stop within 1.5 metres of either side of, and 5.5 metres directly in front of, a driveway, private road or garage entrance on the alley.
All on-street parking is subject to a time-limit even if no signs are posted. Where a street or portion of a street is subject to a posted time-limit regulation, you may not move your vehicle from one spot to another within the same block to avoid the time limit.
No vehicle may be parked in the same spot on a street for more than 48 continuous hours without being moved. After a vehicle has been parked on a block for 48 consecutive hours, it must be removed from that block for at least 4 hours before it can be parked on the same block again. Simply moving your vehicle to a different spot on the same block does not restart the 48-hour clock.
When parking on a street, follow these positioning rules to keep your vehicle safe and the street orderly.
- Park your vehicle parallel to the curb or edge of the street facing the direction of traffic on your side of the street.
- Your curbside wheels must be within 30 centimetres of the curb or edge of the street.
- When leaving your vehicle unattended on any perceptible grade (hill), turn your front or rear wheels toward the curb or side of the street. This helps prevents your vehicle from rolling into traffic if the brakes fail.
- Angle parking is only permitted where the street is specifically marked or signed for it. Where angle parking is indicated, park at the angle shown by the marks or signs, parallel to and between the marks, with your bumper as close to the curb as practicable.
Parking Signs
Many streets and areas in Coquitlam have posted signs that restrict or regulate parking and stopping. These signs supplement the rules that apply everywhere as described above. When a sign is posted, it takes priority over all other rules.
This information explains how to read and comply with posted parking signs, including no-stopping zones, time-restricted parking, loading zones, accessible parking zones and residential permit parking.
Where a posted sign prohibits stopping, you may not halt your vehicle at that location for any reason — even briefly even if you remain in the vehicle. The only exceptions are stopping to avoid a traffic conflict or to comply with the direction of a bylaw officer, police officer, traffic signal or sign.
Where a posted sign prohibits or restricts parking, you may stop briefly (up to five minutes maximum) to actively load or unload passengers or merchandise, but you may not leave your vehicle parked beyond that.
Do not park or stop in an accessible parking zone unless your vehicle displays a valid accessible parking permit. Accessible parking permits are issued by the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia S.P.A.R.C. BC or another authorized body.
Accessible parking zones are identified by posted signs. Parking in an accessible parking zone without a valid permit may result in a Bylaw Enforcement Notice (ticket).
A loading zone is a section of street designated for loading and unloading passengers or materials. You may stop in a loading zone:
- To load or unload passengers for a maximum of 3 minutes.
- To load or unload materials for a maximum of 30 minutes.
Custom transit vehicles and vehicles displaying an accessible parking permit may stop in a loading zone for up to 20 minutes.
Idling Regulations
Better air quality and reduced greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the key goals of Coquitlam's bylaw banning unnecessary vehicle idling. Visit our anti-idling webpage for all the details about this regulation.
Large Vehicle and Trailer Rules
To help keep streets safe and accessible, there are specific rules for parking large vehicles and trailers.
- Trailers cannot be parked on a street unless they are attached to a vehicle that can tow them.
- Vehicles, mobile equipment, or combinations of vehicles longer than 6.5 metres are not allowed to park on streets between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. This restriction does not apply on streets located in industrial-zoned areas, or if the vehicle owner has received special permission from the City.
- A transfer trailer may be parked on a street for up to 30 minutes only while actively loading or unloading at a delivery location. During this time, the trailer must follow all other parking rules in the bylaw and must be clearly marked with visible traffic control devices such as cones or warning signs.