Starting Monday, residents are encouraged to apply for their digital waterfront parking permit, which allows them to park for free at select waterfront locations in the city. The permit program will replace the hangtag waterfront parking pass system by making the pass available as a digital permit through the HotSpot app and website.
“Residents will enjoy the many benefits of a digital permit, like never having to worry about forgetting a hangtag pass again, or the ability to register all of their vehicles as there is no longer a limit to the number of permits per address,” says Brent Forsyth, Director of Transit and Parking. “Each digital waterfront parking permit will be tied to a specific licence plate, so the City can verify if the vehicle has a permit through the plate number, eliminating the need for a physical hangtag on the vehicle. Once their permit is active, residents do not require anything to enjoy free parking at the applicable waterfront areas.”
Residents have almost two years to transition to the digital permit, with hangtag passes expiring December 31, 2023. For those unable to use HotSpot or prefer to apply in person, they can bring their documentation to Service Barrie (City Hall), where city staff will validate and set them up in HotSpot.
To apply for the digital permit, residents will need their vehicle ownership information and proof of residency documentation (i.e. driver’s licence, utility bill, cell phone bill, lease agreement, etc.).
Residents and non-residents can follow the detailed instructions available at barrie.ca/WaterfrontParking to apply for their digital permit/s through the HotSpot app or website (htsp.ca).
Key facts about the digital waterfront parking permit program:
- Like the hangtag pass, the digital waterfront parking permit is free for Barrie residents. For non-Barrie residents, costs will remain the same as the previous hangtag waterfront parking pass.
- For residents applying for the digital permit, HotSpot is free to use, and no payment information is required.
- Digital waterfront parking permits for residents are valid for two calendar years (for non-residents, one calendar year). Registered users will receive a reminder to renew ahead of their permit expiry.
- The digital permit program offers expanded customer service, with HotSpot’s frontline support to assist with technical concerns.
More details on the program are available at barrie.ca/WaterfrontParking, and a list of the locations where the waterfront parking permit is valid is available at barrie.ca/ParkingMap.
For more information about parking in the city, visit barrie.ca/parking.
