Clean Air Zone

To help tackle harmful pollution, Bath operates a Clean Air Zone (CAZ). Charges apply daily, from midnight to midnight, all year round.

The class C Clean Air Zone means that charges only apply to taxis, private hire vehicles, light goods vehicles and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). Higher emission buses, coaches, vans, pick-ups, motorhomes, horse transporters and some campers may also be charged. A higher emission vehicle is a pre-Euro 6 (VI) diesel vehicle (Euro 1 to 5 (V) or earlier), or pre-Euro 4 petrol vehicle (Euro 1 to 3 or earlier).

Cars and motorbikes are not charged (except taxis).

To check if charges apply to your vehicle go to www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones.

If charges apply to your vehicle, pay within 6 days at GOV.UK. No reminders are sent.

Exemptions and discounts are available for certain vehicles, such as larger motorhomes and for blue badge holders. Go to www.bathnes.gov.uk/CAZexemptions. 

We strongly advise all visitors to consider using Bath's Park & Ride bus services as an alternative to driving in the city centre. 

Emission-based parking charges

As of September 2023, a vehicle emission-based parking charge system is in operation at all Council-owned car parks in Bath to improve air quality in the city.  

The price of parking will depend on your vehicle's emissions, in line with the bands used for DVLA vehicle excise duty. Drivers of non-diesel vehicles with emissions below 131 grams per kilometre will not see prices increase. However, more polluting vehicles such as those with diesel engines will now pay a higher rate.

Motorists will be required to input their registration plate details when paying for parking, in order for their charge to be automatically calculated. Payment is accepted by cash or card at on-site terminals, or online using MiPermit. You can find out whether you may be charged the higher rate ahead of your visit by checking your vehicle’s emissions on the UK Government website. 

Parking at Bath's Park & Ride sites will remain free of charge to those using the bus. However, drivers who park at any of the Park & Ride sites but do not use the bus must pay for their parking. 

The new parking charge system aims to incentivise owners of more polluting vehicles to use more sustainable transport alternatives when visiting Bath city centre, and encourage a shift to public transport, walking, wheeling and cycling. Find out more on the Bath & North East Somerset Council website. 

Park & Ride

Bath has three Park & Ride services, which operate seven days a week. Buses run into the city centre from all three Park & Ride sites at least every 15 minutes, with a journey time of 10 minutes. All buses are fully accessible for wheelchair users and pushchairs. 

You can view a live update of car park occupancy at Bath's main car parks online here, including the three Park & Ride sites. 

Car parks

There are several car parks within the city centre, both long and short-stay parking, as well as on-street parking in certain areas. There are also charging points for electric vehicles available at Charlotte Street Car Park in the city centre, and at the Park & Ride sites. To avoid congestion in the city centre, we recommend using one of the city’s Park & Ride services. 

If you do decide to drive in the city, please take care as there are a number of one-way streets and bus lanes in operation.

Find your nearest car park in Bath

View live car park occupancy in Bath

Visitors with motorhomes or other tall vehicles are advised that Newbridge Park & Ride has a height barrier of 6ft 6", Odd Down Park & Ride has a 7ft 2" barrier, but there are no barriers the Lansdown Park & Ride.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has launched MiPermit, an online portal designed to give drivers easy access to various methods of parking their vehicles in Bath. MiPermit can be used to pay for parking at participating Pay & Display car parks via smartphone app, online, SMS text message, or by telephone. The portal can also be used to purchase a variety of digital permits. Find out more here. 

Blue Badge parking

Most car parks in the city offer accessible parking bays for Blue Badge holders – please find a full list here.

Please note that there are a limited number of spaces in Bath's car parks that are free of charge to Blue Badge holders, and you will be required to pay for parking in most bays. Alternatively, you can park for free on-street with no time limit when displaying a valid Blue Badge in:

• On-street Pay & Display bays
• Residents' Parking Zones (RPZs) 
• Advisory disabled parking bays
• On-street disabled parking bays (always check signs, as some bays are time limited and you need to display your badge and time clock, set to time of arrival)
• Disabled parking bays located in the outer entrance area of Charlotte Street Car Park (charges apply in the main Charlotte Street Car Park)

You can park on single and double yellow lines for up to 3 hours, except where a ban on loading or unloading is in force, as indicated by yellow kerb dashes and/or signs on plates. You must display a valid Blue Badge with your time clock set at the time of your arrival.

Find out more about Blue Badge holders' rights and responsibilities on the UK Government website. 

Vehicles are restricted on several streets in Bath city centre as part of the Bath City Centre Security scheme. These include Abbey Green, Abbeygate Street, Bath Street, Beau Street, Cheap Street, Hot Bath Street, Lower Borough Walls, Parsonage Lane, Saw Close, Stall Street, Swallow Street, Upper Borough Walls, Westgate Street, and York Street. Blue Badge holders are permitted access to these streets, with entry on Cheap Street - find out more on the Council website. 

You can find out more about accessibility in Bath on our Accessible Bath page. 

Electric vehicle (EV) charging

You can find Electric Vehicle (EV) charging facilities at the following locations:

• Kingsmead Square Car Park, Bath: 4 x fast (22kW) bays
• Charlotte Street Car Park, Bath: 2 x fast (22kW), 6 x rapid (50kW),
• Larkhall Car Park, Bath: 2 x fast (22kW) bays
• Claverton Road Car Park, Widcombe, Bath: 2 x fast (22kw) bays
• Railway Place, Bath (adjacent to Bath railway station): 2 x rapid (50kW)
• South Road Car Park, MSN: 4 x fast (22kW) bays
• Church Street Car Park, Radstock: 4 x rapid (50kW) bays
• Keynsham Civic Centre: 4 x rapid (50kW) and 2 x fast (22kW) bays

A 22kW fast charger could provide 50 miles' range in 40 minutes (depending on the vehicle). A 50kW rapid charger could take 17 minutes to provide the same range.