The municipal overnight winter parking ban is in effect every year from December 15 to March 31. It will be enforced only during declared weather events and ongoing clearing operations. When enforced, the parking ban is in effect from 1 a.m. until 6 a.m. throughout the Regional Centre of the municipality.

During the overnight winter parking ban, vehicles cannot be parked on the street and must be parked off-street. If a vehicle is left on the street, or is hanging out of a driveway into the sidewalk while the ban is being enforced, it could be ticketed and/or towed at the owner’s expense.

Make sure you know when the overnight winter parking ban is being enforced. Click the button above to receive phone, text, or email notifications. Please note: Do not to rely solely on these notifications for parking ban information. For updates on the status of the parking ban visit our Service Updates page, follow @hfxgov on Twitter, or call 311.

Regardless of the status of an overnight winter parking ban, or whether you have received a notification, vehicles can be towed any time during the day or night, any day of the year, if they are interfering with snow-clearing operations, as per Section 139 of the Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act.

If you see a vehicle impacting snow clearing during regular business hours, please call 311. If you see a vehicle ignoring the overnight winter parking ban, please only call the after-hours line if it is an emergency (example: a vehicle is blocking a driveway or sidewalk).

Parking ban zones

The municipality has established two zones for the overnight parking ban: Zone 1 – Central and Zone 2 – Non-Central.

Zone 1 – Central refers to the Halifax Peninsula and downtown Dartmouth within Highway 111 (the Circumferential Highway) and some surrounding areas.
Zone 2 – Non-Central is a designated area outside of Zone 1 – Central.

With these two zones, the following parking ban scenarios may occur during, or following, a declared weather event:

•    Municipal overnight winter parking ban is being enforced/has been lifted (both Zone 1 – Central and Zone 2 – Non-Central)
•    Zone 1 – Central overnight winter parking ban is being enforced/has been lifted
•    Zone 2 – Non-Central overnight winter parking ban is being enforced/has been lifted
•    Zone 1 – Central overnight winter parking ban has been lifted, but will continue to be enforced in Zone 2 – Non-Central
•    Zone 2 – Non-Central overnight winter parking ban has been lifted, but will continue to be enforced in Zone 1 – Central

In previous winter seasons, targeted snow removal in certain downtown areas was required when the overnight winter parking ban was not enforced. The creation of two zones improves service delivery by leveraging overnight winter parking bans that can accommodate more targeted snow removal.

You can find out zone you’re in by searching your address using the interactive tool available here or via the map below.