Local parking guide

Parking in Bradford

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

City of Bradford Metropolitan District CouncilWest YorkshireEngland

Bradford's Clean Air Zone is one of the largest in England by area: everything inside the outer ring road, the ring road itself included, plus a corridor running north along the Aire valley to take in Shipley and Saltaire. If you drive a car, none of it costs you anything — it is a Class C zone, so cars and motorcycles are outside it however old they are. What is unusual is the pricing underneath. Most cities charge taxis and vans the same. Bradford separates them: a non-compliant hackney carriage or private hire vehicle pays £7 a day, a non-compliant van or minibus £9, and a bus, coach or lorry £50. A campervan is charged on weight — £9 up to three and a half tonnes, £50 above it. On the street the price turns on which side of the centre you are. Bradford city centre is £2 an hour with a two-hour maximum; Little Germany, a few streets away, is £1 with four hours. Both charge seven days a week and on bank holidays.

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council West Yorkshire England

Band 2Penalty charge band
£1–£2/hourOn-street tariff
NoFree on Sundays

Bradford publishes its permit areas individually rather than as a count of zones.

What a ticket costs in Bradford

City of Bradford Metropolitan District 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 C

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

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

Other charges you can get in Bradford

Not every notice you get is a parking ticket. These are issued under different powers, and some of them cost more.

ChargeAmountIf paid earlyNotes
Clean Air Zone daily charge — hackney carriage or private hire vehicle £7 Payable for each day a non-compliant vehicle is driven in the zone. Not a penalty: pay it and there is nothing further. Bradford is unusual in setting this below the van rate rather than at the same level.
Clean Air Zone daily charge — van, light goods vehicle or minibus £9 A campervan or motorhome pays this rate up to three and a half tonnes and £50 above it.
Clean Air Zone daily charge — bus, coach or heavy goods vehicle £50 Same rules, more than seven times the taxi rate.
Clean Air Zone penalty charge notice Not confirmed Bradford does not publish the penalty amount on its Clean Air Zone pages. What it does publish is the window: you can pay the daily charge from six days before your journey to six days after it, and a penalty follows only if you miss that. The figure is on the notice.
Bus lane penalty charge notice £70 £35 The same £70 as a higher-level parking ticket, but 21 days for the discount instead of 14, because it comes from a camera.

Paying by phone

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council accepts RingGo. 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
Bradford city centre 8am to 8pm Monday to Sunday Charges apply on bank holidays too. Two-hour maximum stay.
Little Germany 8am to midnight Monday to Sunday Charged in two blocks: the daytime tariff to 6pm, then a flat £1 from 6pm to midnight.
Clean Air Zone — inside and including the outer ring road, plus the Aire valley corridor to Shipley and Saltaire 24 hours Every day of the year Not a parking restriction. Cars and motorcycles are not charged.

On-street tariffs

AreaPer hourMaximum stayNotes
Bradford city centre £2 2 hours £2 for one hour and £4 for the two-hour maximum. 8am to 8pm every day, bank holidays included. Blue Badge holders park free but the two-hour limit still applies to them.
Little Germany — Aked, Burnett, Cater, Chapel, Currer, Field and Hick Streets, Park Gate, Peckover Street and Vicar Lane £1 4 hours £1 an hour to a £4 maximum, 8am to 6pm. From 6pm to midnight it is a flat £1 however long you stay.
Little Germany — East Parade, Green Street, Scoresby Street and Upper Parkgate £1 Over 3 hours at a flat £4 £1 an hour, 8am to 6pm.

Resident permits

First vehicle£35
Valid for12 months

A flat price with no emissions banding — an electric car and a fifteen-year-old diesel pay the same. A visitor permit is also £35 a year and an additional visitor permit £40. The council does not publish a separate second-vehicle price.

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
05 Parked after the expiry of paid for time at a pay and display bay Lower
06 Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay and display ticket or voucher Lower
12 Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place without a valid permit Higher
23 Parked in a parking place not designated for that class of vehicle Higher
25 Parked in a loading place during restricted hours without loading Higher
30 Parked for longer than permitted Lower
34 Being in a bus lane Higher
40 Parked in a designated disabled person's parking place without displaying a valid disabled person's badge Higher

Who enforces, and where to appeal

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council enforces on-street parking, bus lanes and the Clean Air Zone. Three kinds of notice, and only one of them is a parking ticket.

Bradford is outside London, so appeals go to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, which handles the Bradford Clean Air Zone as well as parking and bus lane notices. Challenge the council first. Count the days off the notice you actually hold: a parking penalty gives 14 days at half price, a bus lane one 21.

How to challenge a ticket, step by step →

Related rules

Other cities

Common questions

Do I pay to drive into Bradford's Clean Air Zone?
Not in a car and not on a motorbike. Bradford runs a Class C zone, which charges non-compliant taxis, private hire vehicles, vans, minibuses, buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles, and leaves cars out entirely — however old the car is. A compliant vehicle of any type pays nothing either.
How far does the zone reach?
It covers everything inside the outer ring road, and the ring road itself is in the zone rather than being a boundary you can drive around. It also runs north along the Aire valley — Manningham Lane, Bradford Road and the Canal Road area — far enough to take in Shipley and Saltaire.
What does the zone cost if my vehicle is charged?
£7 a day for a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle, £9 for a van, light goods vehicle or minibus, and £50 for a bus, coach or heavy goods vehicle. A campervan pays £9 up to three and a half tonnes and £50 over. You can pay from six days before your journey to six days after it.
Why is a taxi charged less than a van here?
Because Bradford set the rates separately. Most Class C cities put taxis and light goods vehicles at the same daily rate; Bradford put hackney carriages and private hire vehicles at £7 and vans at £9. Same zone, same standard, two different prices.
What does a parking ticket cost in Bradford?
£70 for a higher-level contravention and £50 for a lower one, halved to £35 and £25 if you pay within 14 days — Band 2. A bus lane penalty is also £70, but the half-price window there runs 21 days because the notice comes from a camera.
Is parking free for Blue Badge holders?
In Bradford city centre you do not pay, but the maximum stay still applies to you. A Blue Badge exempts you from the charge, not from the two-hour limit, and overstaying is enforceable.
Is parking free on Sundays or bank holidays?
No. Bradford city centre charges 8am to 8pm seven days a week, and the council states that charges apply on bank holidays as well. Little Germany charges from 8am to 6pm and then a flat £1 from 6pm to midnight.

Sources

Figures last checked 9 September 2026