Local parking guide

Parking in Birmingham

What a parking ticket costs in Birmingham, which zones apply, what it costs to park, what a resident permit costs, who enforces it and how to challenge one.

Birmingham City CouncilWest MidlandsEngland

Birmingham is where the confusion this site exists to clear up gets worse rather than better. Three different notices in this city are called a PCN: a parking penalty charge from the council, a bus lane penalty charge, and a Clean Air Zone penalty charge — and the Clean Air Zone one is the most expensive of the three by a wide margin. Before you do anything with a Birmingham notice, read what it says at the top. For parking proper, two things are worth knowing. On-street tariffs differ sharply by zone: an hour in the city centre costs well over twice what it costs in the Digbeth or outer zones. And Blue Badge holders park free at on-street pay and display bays here with no time limit, which is a local concession rather than a national right — it is more generous than the three-hour yellow-line rule the badge gives you elsewhere.

Birmingham City Council West Midlands England

Band 2Penalty charge band
£1.70–£4.60/hourOn-street tariff

Birmingham publishes its controlled parking zones on an interactive map rather than as a numbered list, so we do not state a total. The zones the council names outside the city centre are listed below.

What a ticket costs in Birmingham

Birmingham City Council issues penalty charge notices at Band 2.

LevelFull chargeIf paid early
Higher level £70 £35
Lower level £50 £25

What the higher and lower levels mean, and every stage if you do not pay →

Clean Air Zone: class D

A class D zone charges buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans and cars. Anything not on that list is not charged for entering the zone at all.

A class D zone may also charge motorcycles and mopeds, but that is left to the council — so class D on its own does not tell you whether a motorcycle pays.

Ultra low emission vehicles with significant zero emission capability are exempt from charges across all classes.

GOV.UK, Annex A to the Clean Air Zone Framework for England

Paying by phone

Birmingham City Council accepts Parkmobile. Check the sign in the bay for the location code before you start a session — it is the code, not the street name, that decides what you are charged.

Controlled parking zones

ZoneHoursDaysNotes
Humphrey Middlemore Drive, Selly Oak Not confirmed Not confirmed Named by the council as a controlled parking zone outside the city centre.
Chamberlain Gardens, Edgbaston Not confirmed Not confirmed Named by the council as a controlled parking zone outside the city centre.
Dale Road area, Selly Oak Not confirmed Not confirmed Named by the council as a controlled parking zone outside the city centre.
Woodleigh Avenue area, Edgbaston Not confirmed Not confirmed Named by the council as a controlled parking zone outside the city centre.
Roman Way, Harborne Not confirmed Not confirmed Named by the council as a controlled parking zone outside the city centre.

On-street tariffs

AreaPer hourMaximum stayNotes
Inner zone (city centre) £4.60 4 hours Charges apply 8:00am to 7:30pm every day except Christmas Day and bank holidays. A separate evening rate covers 6:00pm to 7:30pm. You cannot return to the same place within an hour of leaving.
Holliday Street, Hurst Street and Thorp Street £3.10 4 hours A temporary reduced rate the council applies to these three city centre streets only.
Digbeth and Irish Quarter zone £1.80 4 hours Charges apply Monday to Saturday, 8:00am to 6:00pm, except Christmas Day and bank holidays. Payment by phone only in this zone.
Outer zone and Gun Quarter zone £1.70 4 hours Charges apply Monday to Saturday, 8:00am to 6:00pm, except Christmas Day and bank holidays.

Resident permits

First vehicle£20.60
Second vehicle£41.20

That is the standard price across the residents' schemes outside the city centre, and the second permit costs more than the first rather than less. The city centre schemes are separate and far dearer: an annual resident permit is £329 in the Jewellery Quarter and £318 in Digbeth and the Irish Quarter. Residents who hold a Blue Badge, and those who need a carer, can get a permit free of charge with supporting documents.

The codes you will see on a ticket here

Every penalty charge notice carries a contravention code. It tells you what you are accused of, and whether the charge is at the higher or the lower level.

CodeWhat it meansLevel
01 Parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours Higher
02 Parked or loading / unloading in a restricted street where waiting and loading / unloading restrictions are in force Higher
12 Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place or zone without a valid permit, or without payment of the parking charge Higher
16 Parked in a permit space or zone without a valid virtual permit or clearly displaying a valid physical permit where required Higher
19 Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place or zone with an invalid permit, or after the expiry of paid for time Lower
21 Parked wholly or partly in a suspended bay or space Higher
23 Parked in a parking place or area not designated for that class of vehicle Higher
24 Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space Lower
25 Parked in a loading place or bay during restricted hours without loading Higher
27 Parked in a special enforcement area adjacent to a footway, cycle track or verge lowered to meet the level of the carriageway Higher
30 Parked for longer than permitted Lower
40 Parked in a designated disabled person's parking place without displaying a valid disabled person's badge Higher
47 Stopped on a restricted bus stop or stand Higher
99 Stopped on a pedestrian crossing or crossing area marked by zigzags Higher

Who enforces, and where to appeal

Birmingham City Council enforces on-street parking across the city. Bus lane and Clean Air Zone notices come from the same council but sit under different powers, and each is challenged separately.

Birmingham is outside London, so an appeal against a parking penalty charge goes to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal rather than to London Tribunals. Challenge the council first: only its notice of rejection opens the tribunal route.

How to challenge a ticket, step by step →

Related rules

Other cities

Common questions

How much is a parking ticket in Birmingham?
Birmingham issues at Band 2, the higher of the two bands available to councils outside London. The amounts are in the table above, and half is payable if you pay within 14 days — or within 21 days where the notice was issued from a camera rather than left on the vehicle.
My notice says PCN but it is for £120. Is that a parking ticket?
No. That is almost certainly a Clean Air Zone penalty charge, which is £120 and reduces to £60 if paid within 14 days. All three Birmingham notices are called a PCN: a parking one and a bus lane one are both at the same council level, while the Clean Air Zone one is nearly double. The bus lane notice also gives you 21 days rather than 14 for the discount, because it comes from a camera. Read what the notice says at the top before you pay or write to anyone — the three are challenged separately.
Is parking free on Sundays in Birmingham?
It depends on the zone, which is why we do not give a single answer. The Digbeth and Irish Quarter zone and the outer and Gun Quarter zones charge Monday to Saturday. The inner city centre zone charges every day except Christmas Day and bank holidays.
Does my Blue Badge let me park free in Birmingham?
At on-street pay and display bays, yes, with no time limit — that is a council concession and it is more generous than the national rule. It does not extend to off-street car parks, which are the operator's decision, and it does not override loading restrictions.
How much is a resident permit?
£20.60 for the first permit in a household on the schemes outside the city centre, and £41.20 for additional permits — note that the second one costs more, not less. City centre schemes are separate and much dearer. Residents with a Blue Badge, and those who need a carer, can get one free with supporting documents.
How do I pay by phone?
Birmingham uses Parkmobile. Each pay and display machine carries a four or five digit location number, and you key that in with the number of minutes you want. Get the location number right: paying for the wrong location is the same as not paying.

Sources

Figures last checked 8 September 2026