Frequently Asked Questions

Under City of Winnipeg traffic regulations commercial transactions in the roadway are prohibited unless you have a Use of Streets or Mobile Vendor Parking Permit.

You do not have to pay for parking , Monday through Saturday if you have a high demand or low demand permit and are carrying on business, and parked within the parking demand area which your permit applies.

For current rates please refer to the Fee Schedule.

A Metered Permit allows the unit to operate Monday - Saturday, holidays inclusive, adhering to all parking restrictions and City of Winnipeg by-laws at the corresponding on-street metered location, as approved by the permit and so long as there are no more than two Mobile Vendor Units stationed on the same block face. Parking can resume once the parking meters are no longer in effect and do not require payment, but still adhering to all posted parking restrictions.

On streets where there is no meter payment required, (including time restricted streets). The non-metered permit will also allow parking in metered areas after the meter is no longer in effect but permit holders must still adhere to all other posted parking restrictions.

Under the Parking Meter By-law any vehicle that takes up more than one parking space is required to pay for two parking spaces. This applies to any vehicle whether they are a mobile vendor or not.

You will need the following to apply for a permit:

• Completed permit application
• Valid driver’s licence, if co-owners both are required to provide valid ID
• Valid vehicle registration (for truck and trailer combination, only vendor trailer registration is required)
• For mobile food vendors, a valid permit issued under section 3 of the Food and Food Handling Establishments Regulations, Manitoba Regulation 339/88R.
• For Support Vehicle Permits, a valid Use of Streets permit
• If you are a co-owner or your vehicle is registered to a numbered company we will require corporate/partnership documentation such as the articles of incorporation
• If you are not listed as the registered owner on the vehicle registration, an authorizing letter detailing the vehicle license plate and authorization of use by the applicant will need to be completed by the registered owner prior to the application being approved.

Based on the Streets bylaw, section 4.01.01, a use of streets permit from the Public Works department takes precedence over the requirement of a mobile vendor parking permit. Therefore, if the unit is registered under the use of streets permit, a mobile vendor parking permit would not be required to park on the street. However, if there is no use of streets permit, there is a requirement to have a mobile vendor permit to complete a commercial transaction on a roadway within the City of Winnipeg.

For information, contact 311 or visit us at 495 Portage Ave.

Hours & Location

No. The WPA will automatically be refunding any deposits paid for permits. You should destroy the hang tag permit once your virtual permit is in effect. Please do not display your invalid hang-tag permit.

WPA sent notice to current permit holders of the virtual permit. A follow up email/letter is also sent once the virtual permit has been assigned to the account. If your contact information has changed since your initial application, contact 311 to verify its accuracy.

Each account is reviewed for a deposit prior to being assigned a new virtual permit. If a deposit was collected for a permit that was converted to virtual, a refund will be processed. Please note that this may take a few months due to the large amount of refunds being processed.

For information relating to permits, including how to update your licence plate information, please find the related permit type under the Parking Information > Permits section.

Permit notifications will automatically be system generated for accounts that have had a virtual permit sold to them.

The permit notification will be emailed if an email address has been provided, otherwise it will be sent out by regular mail.

Permit Number – The assigned permit number. You will use this number when you need to update WPA with any changes to the permit.

Permit Description – Description of which type of permit was approved.

Effective Date – The effective date will vary based on the type of permit:

• Month to month permit and visitor permit – The effective date is the date you may start parking.
• Annual permit – The effective date is the date the permit renewal would normally start and not the date you purchased it. You may start parking 1 day after the permit is purchased.

Expiry Date – The expiry date will also vary based on the type of permit:

• Month to month permit – The expiry date is the last day of the month that you started parking and the permit will continue to renew on a monthly basis as long as payments are received.
• Visitor permit – This expiry date will be a maximum of 30 days past the effective date and is the date that the permit will no longer be active.
• Annual Permit – The expiry date for an annual permit is when the permit will expire and is also when you will have to re-apply if you wish to obtain another permit.

Licence Plate – The licence plate listed on the approved application is what is linked to your permit. The plate is what enforcement officers will use to verify there is a valid permit in our system.

If the licence plate on your notification is incorrect or doesn’t appear in your permit notification email, please notify our office.

Please remember to always keep your plate information up to date to avoid receiving parking infractions relating to the parking permit.

If you meet the requirements for a Contractor permit, a single permit may be issued for both a truck and a trailer combination. If you have more than one trailer, you may register up to 2 additional trailers for an annual fee per each additional trailer.

If you are going to be leaving your trailer at a site for longer than the 1 hour time restriction that applies to trailers, you would be required to update your permit to include the trailers licence plate, otherwise you will not be covered under the permit.

If the vehicle is registered to the Company

• Valid vehicle registration for each vehicle/trailer that requires a permit.
• Proof of ownership (Annual Return of Information would be sufficient); or
• If you are not the owner of the Company and are applying on behalf of the Company, a letterhead from the company stating the applicant can purchase the permit on behalf of the company. In this case the permit would be sold to whoever is covering the cost of the permit itself.

If the vehicle is registered to you

• Valid vehicle registration for each vehicle/trailer that requires a permit.
• If the vehicle is registered in your name and not a company name, you will need to provide a letter on company letterhead stating you are providing home repair services and the vehicle is being utilized for contractor services within the City of Winnipeg; or
• Other evidence that the vehicle is being used for the provision of contractor services such as Business Registration papers

For current rates please refer to the Fee Schedule. The fee is non-refundable.

New applicants:

The cost of a new permit will be pro-rated monthly to equal the amount left in the year.

Current Permit Holders:

All renewals will be charged at the full annual rate.

A Recreational Vehicle (RV) means a vehicle designed for camping and other recreational purposes. It includes, but is not limited to, a motorhome, a truck on which a camper has been installed, a camping or travel trailer, and any trailer carrying recreational equipment such as a boat or other watercraft, a snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle or other off-road vehicle.

Yes, each applicant is able to have four permits in respect to one or more recreational vehicles per calendar year.

Yes. Each permit may be activated a maximum of 3 days, up to 4 times per year.

Visit the Temporary Recreational Vehicle Parking Permit Page for information including cost.

The City is able to apply several different debt collection powers in accordance with provincial law. These include the use of a contracted third-party collection agent as well as the lien, seizure, and auction of vehicles owned by a debtor. If you have received a letter regarding outstanding tickets, please follow the instructions in the letter and contact the City or the appropriate collection agent.

For information related to outstanding fines that are payable Gatestone & Co., please contact the company's collections team directly by email at can.assorted@gatestone.com or via telephone at 1-866-238-2838.

The City issues parking tickets to encourage compliance with parking regulations. These regulations are in place to ensure safety for drivers and pedestrians, maintain the efficient flow of traffic, and provide fair access to the City’s parking spaces.

The City is implementing a new policy for towing and impounding the vehicle belonging to anyone with three or more outstanding parking tickets who is caught committing another parking offence. Owners of vehicles towed under this policy will not be required to pay the full amount of their outstanding parking ticket debt in order to retrieve their vehicles from the impound lot. However, they will need to pay the towing fee, storage fees, and any applicable administration fees.

There are several convenient ways to pay your outstanding tickets: online, contacting 311, by mail, or in person at the Winnipeg Parking Authority offices at 495 Portage Ave.

A vehicle whose owner has three or more outstanding tickets will be authorized for tow when it is found parked illegally on a city street. The owner of a vehicle towed under this policy will not be required to pay the full amount of their outstanding parking ticket debt in order to retrieve their vehicles from the impound lot. However, they will need to pay the towing fee, storage fees, and any applicable administration fees. There is no limit on the number of times a vehicle may be towed under this policy.

A residential parking permit is a type of on-street parking permit issued by the Winnipeg Parking Authority (WPA) to residents living at a qualifying address within a residential parking zone. A residential permit allows the registered vehicle to park longer than the posted time restriction (excluding all annual snow route bans, residential parking bans, public works street works signs for spring street cleaning and snow/ice removal, etc.)

Residents living at qualifying addresses can apply for up to three permits. Each permit is valid for only one vehicle.

Residential parking permits are valid for one year from the date they are approved.

This is the first fee increase for Residential Parking Permits since 2006. These fees help to cover the cost of administering the Residential Parking Permit program and encourage users to consider alternative parking locations or modes of transportation. The new fees are approved by Council and will be implemented starting June 1, 2024.

The City is introducing a new tiered permit pricing structure to provide more equitable access to on-street parking in residential areas where time limits are in effect. The new system will encourage households with multiple vehicles to consider other off-street parking options and different transportation modes.

Permits will be priced as follows:

 Onehousehold vehicle/permit:  One household vehicle/permit: $50 annually

  Two household vehicles/permits:  Two household vehicles/permits: $125 annually ($50 + $75)

   Three household vehicles/permits:  Three household vehicles/permits: $325 annually ($50 + $75 + $200)

Residential permit holders may receive a complimentary visitor permit for a period of up to two weeks. Visitor permits for longer than two weeks, up to the maximum 30 days are available for $5.00 including GST and are non-refundable.