Where Can You Park in Richmond Hill? The Rules, and the Confusing Exceptions

From three-hour limits and overnight permits to driveway aprons and Winter Events, Richmond Hill’s parking rules are not always easy to find—or consistent across the City’s own webpages. We asked the City for clarification.

By City Desk

Parking on a residential street in Richmond Hill can look simple: find an open space, check for a sign and leave the car. But what if there is no sign? Can you park all evening after the three-hour limit ends? Does a temporary permit cover one calendar day or a 24-hour period beginning at 7 a.m.? Can you park between the sidewalk and the road? What happens when the City declares a Winter Event?

The answers are spread across multiple City webpages, and some of those pages contradict one another. Strong Richmond Hill asked the City to clarify the rules residents are most likely to encounter. We sent these questions to the City seeking clarification. After more than a month, and following a follow-up request, a City Bylaw and Licensing Enforcement official provided answers to most of them. Some inconsistencies and unanswered details remain.

Here is what we found.

The short version

• The three-hour street-parking limit applies between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• After 5 p.m., the three-hour limit no longer applies, but seasonal overnight restrictions still do.
• From April 1 to November 30, street parking is prohibited between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. without a permit.
• From December 1 to March 31, street parking is prohibited between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. without a permit.
• A temporary permit is valid from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on the selected date, according to the City’s response and main permit page.
• A permit exempts a vehicle from the three-hour and overnight limits, but not from posted restrictions or other parking rules.
• No one may park on a street during a declared Winter Event, even with a temporary permit.
• Parking on the driveway apron is permitted if the vehicle stays completely clear of the sidewalk, roadway and adjoining boulevard.
• York Region governs Regional roads, although Richmond Hill enforces no-parking and no-stopping violations on them.

How does the three-hour rule work?

Richmond Hill prohibits parking on a City street for more than three hours between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The City confirmed to STRH that there is no general time limit between 5 p.m. and the beginning of the applicable overnight prohibition. That produces a result many residents may not realize.

Even the City’s own parking pages don’t always agree.

For example, someone who parks at 6 p.m. in July could ordinarily remain until 3 a.m. Someone parking at the same time in January could ordinarily remain until 1 a.m.

That does not override posted signs or other rules. A vehicle still cannot be left in a no-parking or no-stopping zone, block a fire hydrant or sidewalk, park on a boulevard, or violate another restriction.

When is overnight street parking prohibited?

The overnight hours change with the season:

Period	Parking prohibited without a permit
April 1–November 30	3 a.m.–6 a.m.
December 1–March 31	1 a.m.–7 a.m.

A temporary parking permit exempts the registered vehicle from both the daytime three-hour limit and the seasonal overnight restriction. It does not grant permission to park anywhere else that parking is prohibited.

Temporary permits cost $5 plus HST, and the City’s main permit page currently says an address can receive permits for up to 50 days per year.

What hours does a temporary permit actually cover?

This is where the City’s published information becomes confusing.

The City’s main Parking Permits page says a permit covers the selected calendar day, from midnight to 11:59 p.m. The City official who responded to STRH confirmed that this is the current rule: it is a full one-day permit.

However, a separate City Terms and Conditions page still says permits run from 7 a.m. on the date of issuance until 6:59 a.m. the following day.

Those are not interchangeable. A resident relying on the second version could reasonably believe that a permit purchased for Monday remains valid early Tuesday morning.

The City official told STRH that the Terms and Conditions page would be investigated and changed if it contains the outdated hours. Until the City corrects the conflicting information, residents should rely on the rule the City has now confirmed: midnight to 11:59 p.m. on the date purchased.

In practical terms, a person who needs to park overnight across two calendar dates may need permits covering both dates.

What is the odd/even-side restriction?

The same Terms and Conditions page says vehicles with temporary permits cannot park on the side of a street adjoining even-numbered properties.

That condition is easy to miss because it does not appear in the shorter list of conditions on the City’s main permit page. The City’s email response did not directly confirm whether this restriction remains current.

Until the City clarifies or removes it, permit holders should assume the published restriction remains enforceable and avoid parking on the even-numbered side of the street.

STRH has asked the City to clarify whether this rule still applies throughout Richmond Hill and why it is not included on the main permit page.

What happens during a Winter Event?

When the City expects at least five centimetres of snow or ice accumulation within the following 24 hours, it may declare a Winter Event.

The City told STRH that these declarations are commonly made about two hours before significant weather begins so vehicles can be removed before winter operations start. But the legal trigger is not the arrival of the snow or a fixed two-hour countdown. Under the parking bylaw, the Winter Event begins when the City gives public notice.

Once it begins:

• parking is prohibited on all streets;
• temporary permits are no longer valid for on-street parking;
• vehicles may be ticketed or towed if they interfere with winter operations; and
• permit holders who cannot arrange private off-street parking may use selected City-owned lots on a first-come, first-served basis, with the permit displayed.

The prohibition remains in effect until the City announces that the Winter Event has ended. Residents can check the City’s website and subscribe to its Winter Updates email notifications.

This means the forecast alone does not establish the beginning or end of the ban. Residents should look for the City’s official notices.

Can you park between the sidewalk and the street?

Yes—if the vehicle is entirely on the driveway apron and does not obstruct anything.

The apron is the portion of a driveway between the sidewalk and the roadway. The City confirmed that a vehicle can park there provided no part of it blocks or overhangs the sidewalk or roadway.

There is another important boundary: the vehicle cannot extend sideways onto the boulevard beside the driveway. If a vehicle is parked parallel to the street on the apron, its tires must remain within the driveway area. The City says the adjoining boulevard begins where the raised curb resumes beyond the sloped driveway curb cuts.

Put simply: fitting between the road and sidewalk is not enough. The entire vehicle must also remain within the width of the driveway apron.

What about Regional roads?

Major roads including Yonge Street, Major Mackenzie Drive, Bayview Avenue, Leslie Street and much of 16th Avenue are Regional roads rather than City roads.

The City told STRH that York Region governs these roads but has authorized Richmond Hill to issue tickets for no-parking and no-stopping violations.

That answer establishes who can enforce those restrictions, but it does not completely settle which general rules apply. In particular, the response did not say whether Richmond Hill’s citywide three-hour and overnight limits apply on Regional roads or whether the City enforces only restrictions established by York Region and posted along those roads.

Residents should follow all posted signs. STRH is seeking a more precise answer before advising that the City’s general time limits apply to every Regional road.

Why is this so hard to understand?

Most residents will never read an entire municipal parking bylaw. They will look for a sign, search the City website or purchase a permit through the online portal. Those sources should give them the same answer.

At present, they do not always do that. The conflicting permit hours are the clearest example, while the odd/even-side restriction is prominent on one City page and absent from another.

This is not merely a technical concern. A difference of several hours can determine whether a resident believes a vehicle is legally parked. Rules that can lead to tickets or towing should be written in one place, in plain language, and kept consistent across every City page and purchasing screen.

The City’s response helped settle most of the practical questions. Updating the remaining webpages—and clearly answering the Regional-road and odd/even-side questions—would make the system much easier for residents to follow.

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Still awaiting clarification

STRH has asked the City to confirm:

1. whether the restriction against permit parking beside even-numbered properties remains in force; and
2. whether Richmond Hill’s general three-hour and overnight restrictions apply on Regional roads within the city.

We will update this explainer when the City provides definitive answers.

Useful City links

• Parking regulations
• Temporary parking permits
• Parking-permit terms and conditions
• Winter maintenance frequently asked questions