Where to park in Birmingham

Birmingham: good to know before you park

Clean Air Zone inside the Middleway

Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone covers the city centre inside the A4540 Middleway ring road, but not the Middleway itself. It runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without barriers or toll booths: number plate cameras check every vehicle against the emission standards. Petrol cars must reach at least Euro 4 and diesel cars Euro 6; fully electric vehicles and motorcycles do not pay.

£8 a day, £120 if you forget

A non-compliant car, taxi or van pays £8 per day, while coaches, buses and lorries pay £50. Each charging day runs from midnight to midnight, so entering the zone late in the evening and leaving after midnight counts as 2 days. You can pay on GOV.UK or by phone on 0300 029 8888, up to 6 days ahead and until 23:59 on the 6th day after your trip. Miss that window and the council sends a £120 penalty, halved to £60 if paid within 14 days.

Street parking: inner and outer zones

Central Birmingham is divided into Controlled Parking Zones: you park only in marked bays, and double yellow lines apply 24 hours a day, every day. In the inner zone, charges apply daily from 8:00 to 19:30, with a 4 hour maximum and no return to the same spot within 1 hour. Until 18:00, 1 hour costs £4.60, 2 hours £7.60, 3 hours £10.30 and 4 hours £14.50; from 18:00 to 19:30 a single £5.00 ticket covers up to 90 minutes. The outer zone and the Gun Quarter are cheaper and only charge Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 18:00, from £2.00 for 1 hour to £6.20 for 4 hours. Street parking is free on Christmas Day, Good Friday and bank holidays, and Blue Badge holders park free in pay and display bays with no time limit.

Paying and parking fines

Council car parks and street bays belong to the National Parking Platform, so you can pay with the app you already use: APCOA Connect, AppyParking, Caura, JustPark, PayByPhone or RingGo. Staying beyond your paid time brings a £50 penalty, cut to £25 if paid within 14 days. Parking on double yellow lines or driving in a bus lane costs £70, or £35 if paid within 14 days.

Park and ride by tram or train

Network West Midlands counts more than 9,500 park and ride spaces. Along the West Midlands Metro tram line, 5 car parks are free: The Hawthorns, Wednesbury Parkway, Black Lake, Bradley Lane and Priestfield. Most rail station car parks are free too; only Bromsgrove, Longbridge, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield charge, payable by cash, card or RingGo. Leaving your car at a park and ride site without travelling on to the tram or train can earn you a fine.

Sources:Brum Breathes (Birmingham City Council), Where is the Zone?, Brum Breathes, Do I need to pay the daily fee?, Brum Breathes, How to pay the Clean Air Zone fee, Brum Breathes, Clean Air Zone penalty charge, Birmingham City Council, About Penalty Charge Notices, Birmingham City Council, Controlled parking zones, Birmingham City Council, Inner zone charges and hours, Birmingham City Council, Outer zone and Gun Quarter charges, Birmingham City Council, Pay for parking using your phone, Network West Midlands (WMCA), Park and ride. Information checked in October 2026.