Overview
A permit is ongoing permission to park. Instead of paying for each visit, your permit covers your parking at a facility for as long as it's active.
Some permits are paid — you pay a regular fee, usually weekly or monthly. Others are free, such as a space your workplace assigns you at no cost.
How you get a permit depends on where you park. At some public facilities you can start a permit yourself in the app; at a workplace or private facility, your parking administrator sets one up for you. Once it's active, you'll find it in the Parkable app under My permits.
What a permit gives you
Ongoing access — park at your facility without paying for each visit
Paid or free — some permits have a regular weekly or monthly fee; others, like many workplace spaces, are free
Set up in the app — start one yourself at some public facilities, or your parking administrator arranges it
The two types of permit
Which type you have depends on how your parking facility is run. Your parking administrator will let you know which one applies to you.
Reserved permits
A reserved permit gives you a guaranteed space. That space is yours for as long as your permit runs, so there's always somewhere to park. At a workplace, this is often a space your employer assigns you, sometimes at no cost.
Because the space is yours, you can also share it when you don't need it — for example when you're away or working from home. See I'd like to share my permit space, how does it work? to learn how.
Unreserved permits
An unreserved permit gives you first-come, first-served access. No specific space is saved for you — you simply drive up and park in any available space. If every permit space is already taken, you may be offered a paid overflow session, or told the facility is full.
To see how this works day to day, read How to start and end an unreserved permit session and How to check availability and overflow pricing.
Note: Because unreserved permits are first-come, first-served, you can't book a space in advance. If you need a guaranteed space, ask your parking administrator about a reserved permit.
Getting a permit
How you get a permit depends on where you're parking:
At a public facility — you can start some permits yourself in the app. See How do I start a monthly permit in the app?
At your workplace or a private facility — your parking administrator sets it up for you. See How do I get a permit for private parking?
Want to park more than one vehicle? See I'd like to park more than one car, can I have multiple permits?
Using your permit
Open an access gate — if your facility has gates, see Open an access gate with an hourly booking or permit
Get an access card — some facilities require a physical card for entry. See How can I obtain an access card for my permit space?
Managing your permit
Find a receipt — see I need a copy of my receipt for my individual permit, where do I find this?
If a payment fails — see What happens if my permit payment fails?
Cancel your permit — see Cancelling your individual permit
FAQs
How do I know which type of permit I have?
Open My permits in the Parkable app to see your permit details. A reserved permit shows the specific space assigned to you; an unreserved permit doesn't, because spaces aren't allocated. If you're unsure, your parking administrator can confirm which type you have.
Can I choose my own space?
It depends on where you park:
Public facility — when you start your permit, you may be able to choose from the available spaces. Once your permit is active you can't change the space yourself — contact Parkable support if you need to move to a different one.
Private or workplace facility — your space is assigned to you by your parking administrator.
Unreserved permit — there's no set space at all; you park in any available space on a first-come, first-served basis.
Do I have to pay for a permit?
Not always. Some permits are paid — usually a weekly or monthly fee. Others are free, such as a space your workplace assigns you. You'll see the price, or that it's free, when you view your permit in My permits.
What happens when my permit ends?
When your permit ends, you'll no longer have permit access to the facility. If it's a paid permit, your regular payments also stop. If you'd like to end your permit yourself, see Cancelling your individual permit.