Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to provide off-street parking?

In the Greater Toronto Area, the cost per parking space varies as follows depending on the type of off-street parking and other factors, such as land value and construction costs:

Cost Per Space (400 sq. ft.)

Type	Low	High
Surface parking	$4,000	$10,000
Free-standing parking garage (above grade)	$36,000	$56,000
Underground parking garages	$64,000	$80,000

Source: 2021 Canadian Cost Guide, Altus Group

How significant is goods movement to Brampton’s economy?

The City of Brampton has over 24,000 businesses classified as Transportation and Warehousing, representing 32 % of all businesses in the City, according to 2020 StatsCan data.

There are over 10,000 trucking companies registered within the City of Brampton. Many of them have less than 10 employees each. The City is also home to the Canadian National Railway’s largest Intermodal Terminal, servicing over 2,000 trucks daily.

In 2020, the transportation and warehousing sector represented about 11 % of Brampton’s GDP. The unprecedented growth in ecommerce during the COVID 19 pandemic has contributed significantly to the growth of this sector.

How will the Brampton Parking Plan deal with truck parking?

The Brampton Parking Plan will provide guidance to the City of Brampton and the Region of Peel by identifying truck parking issues and opportunities, identifying best practices in other jurisdictions, assessing parking needs, and recommending policies that can be implemented through the Official Plan and other planning tools in order to accommodate truck parking.

The aim is to support goods movement and the logistics industry and add value to business stakeholders while addressing land use compatibility issues arising from truck movement and truck parking. The Plan will also deal with the parking of trucks owned by independent operators.

In addition to public consultation, the Brampton Parking Plan will seek input from several stakeholders such as the Peel Goods Movement Task Force members, Smart Freight Centre, Ontario Trucking Association, South Asian Trucking Association, Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association, Owner Operator Business Association, and the Canadian Trucking Forum.

What types of parking will the Brampton Parking Plan address?

The scope of the Plan includes public and private on-street and off-street parking of automobiles, bicycles and trucks.

Is ‘free parking’ free?

No. The parking that is provided free to the individual driver is indirectly charged as part of the grocery bill, rent etc. of every shopper, employee and tenant, regardless of whether the person walked, cycled, used transit, carpooled or drove alone.

At a land cost of US$1.3 million/acre, the capital plus operating cost for an unattended above-ground garage is about US$150 a month per space. A parking structure must earn at least US$150 a month per space to pay its way (Shoup, Donald. 2011. The High Cost of Free Parking. New York: Routledge). In 2021 prices, this is equivalent to about 225 CAD a month per space.

Is on-street permit parking implemented in Brampton?

The City of Brampton does not offer permit parking on City streets.

Parking is not permitted:

on any street between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.,
on any street for longer than 3 hours; and,
on a residential street if your vehicle has a height of more than 2.6m and/or a length of more than 6.7m including any attachments or trailers.

The City of Brampton accepts requests for parking considerations by residents to park on City streets for as long as 14 days each calendar year, per vehicle licence plate. The parking consideration allows vehicles to park in excess of three hours and/or between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. It also allows large vehicles designed for recreational use to park on the street. Click here for a list of common parking offences, which are not covered by a parking consideration.

Did You Know?

Parking Requirements Result in Several Unintended Consequences

Parking is the single biggest land use in cities. Parking requirements encourage more auto use and have several unintended consequences. To name a few, they increase traffic congestion and air pollution, increase energy consumption, degrade urban design, create urban heat islands, cause faster storm water run-off and consequent soil erosion, increase housing costs and limit home ownership.

Parking Requirement Impacts Housing Affordability

Parking requirements bundle the cost of parking spaces into the cost of dwelling units, and therefore shift the cost of parking a car into the cost of renting or owning a home – making cars more affordable but housing more expensive. Based on typical affordable housing development costs, one parking space per unit increases costs approximately 12.5 %, and two parking spaces can increase costs by up to 25 %. (Litman, Todd. 2021. Parking Requirement Impacts on Housing Affordability. Victoria Transport Policy Institute.

Housing Brampton, the City’s comprehensive housing strategy and action plan, addresses the role of parking in housing affordability. The strategy proposes that the City undertake a deeper analysis of the impacts of parking requirements and identify policy approaches to mitigate these impacts. These include parking reduction and management strategies to incentivise the housing needed by residents.

Parking Requirements Affect Development Costs

On average, the cost of providing the required parking for office buildings in an underground garage adds 50 percent to the cost of an office building. The required parking provided within an above ground structure increases the average cost of an office building by 30 percent.

Based on Q4, 2020 construction cost rates - RLB Intelligence and parking requirements - City of Brampton Comprehensive Zoning By-Law

Our Vision is the long-term goal for our city.

Learn about the 2040 Vision

For more information on the Parkland Dedication Strategy:

parkingstrategy@brampton.ca