General parking in the central city

• First 2 hours are free
• To receive your 2 hours free, you must register your number plate at a kiosk or via the PayMyPark app - even if you’re staying less than two hours.
• Your free hours are automatically deducted from the price.
• Third and subsequent hours will cost $6 per hour. 
• Decide to stay longer – using PayMyPark or a traditional kiosk, simply top up your time. For now, if you used a Touch n Go Kiosk, you'll need to wait for your current session to finish, before starting a new one.

• Typically located in the outer areas of the Central City
• Paid parking applies Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm
• Free to park outside these hours and on public holidays
• First hour free does not apply
• Payment is only via the PayMyPark app
• $3-$6 rate applies for all day and short stays
• You can move your vehicle within the same street, but moving to another street requires a new payment
• 2 hours free does not apply to all-day paid parking spaces.

View all day paid parking locations

• Includes spaces like P15 and P30
• Operating times vary – check signs for details. If not stated, time limits apply 8am - 6pm (all days)
• No payment or registration required
• Just follow the posted time limits

• Uncovered ground level car parks and parking buildings
• Various locations (see map)
• Various operating times and charges
• First hour free does not apply
• PayMyPark app works everywhere, some areas also have kiosks
• Note: there are also privately operated off-street car parks available to the public.

Several shopping complexes and independent operators provide publicly available off-street parking in the central city. These include: 

• Centre Place
• Knox Street
• Wilson Street
• Wintec

These facilities are privately managed, and any parking tickets issued there are not issued by Hamilton City Council.

Additionally, many businesses in the central city offer free off-street parking for customers using their services.

• If parking were completely free, workers might occupy spaces all day, leaving fewer options for shoppers.
• We set parking restrictions to ensure parking is available for a variety of needs, including free time-restricted parking for brief errands, hourly paid parking for shopping and business activities, and all-day parking for workers.
• Hourly paid parking, with first 2 hours free and higher prices for longer stays, strikes a balance, it creates more affordable parking for shoppers while encouraging turnover.
• Parking prices respond to demand. We aim to have around 85% of spaces occupied so they are well utilised, but there are spaces available when people need them.
• Pricing also helps fund the provision, management, and maintenance of parking. This includes signage, technology, and enforcement.

• Parking prices respond to demand. We aim to have around 85% of spaces occupied so they are well utilised, but there are spaces available when people need them. This means when occupancy is:
  • Lower than 85%, price may stay the same or decrease.
  • Higher than 85%, price may stay the same or increase.
• Prices can only be updated every three-months or more.
• Prices can’t be adjusted by less than $0.50 or more than $3.00.
• The third hour for hourly paid parking cannot be lower than $1 or higher than $6.
• Areas such as mobility spaces and loading zones are not affected.
• Find out more about parking charges here.

• There are usually plenty of spare parking spaces available in the city centre. The overall central city hourly parking occupancy is 67%, with 21.3% of streets exceeding 90% occupancy, and overall all-day paid parking occupancy is 90%, with 57% of streets exceeding 90% occupancy. At Garden Place, occupancy ranges from a minimum of 36% during off-peak periods to a maximum of 81% during peak hours. 
• Parking buildings are costly to construct. For example, a council-owned building in Takapuna, Auckland, opened in 2021 with a construction cost of $35 million, around $83,000 per parking space.
• When cost effective opportunities arise, we’ve created additional off-street parking spaces, like Old Mill Street Car Park.

It’s a bit annoying, but, yes, you have to register your vehicle at a kiosk or on PayMyPark if you are staying less than 2 hours. Registration has several benefits:

Payment system works efficiently

• Our payment system automatically applies the first 2 hours free. If someone parks without registering and later chooses to stay longer, the system assumes it's their first 2 hours and incorrectly gives them more free hours. Registering from the start prevents this issue.

Less mistakes and better enforcement

• Registering lets the system know you're using the free 2 hours, so it doesn’t mistakenly issue a fine for non-payment.
• Without registration, someone could use the free 2 hours repeatedly by moving their vehicle or switching bays.
• If vehicles don’t register, it’s more difficult for our enforcement system to track whether they have overstayed the time limit. 

Legal proceedings

• Registration provides clear proof and helps avoid disputes. The system records the exact time parking begins, making it easier to prove overstays. Without registration, people can dispute tickets by claiming they didn’t stay longer than 2 hours, requiring council staff to spend time documenting evidence.

Data collection

• It helps us gather data on parking demand and usage patterns, which informs future improvements.

No, the 2 hours of free parking must be used in one continuous session. It cannot be split into separate visits. 

You can use the free parking anywhere within the hourly paid parking zones and move between spaces if needed during that time. The 2-hour free parking applies once per vehicle per day.