Parking in Barnet: Car Parks, Tariffs, CPZs and Permits

Parking in Barnet costs anything from nothing to nearly nine pounds for the same afternoon, depending entirely on which car park you pick. The borough council runs around twenty car parks across High Barnet, North Finchley, Hendon, Edgware and the smaller centres, three of them free, several with a free first hour or two, and the rest on tariffs that differ street by street. On top of that sit the Controlled Parking Zones that govern the kerbside, the permits that let residents use them, and a penalty regime set London-wide. This guide sets out what each of those actually costs, with every figure linked to Barnet Council’s own pages.

The quick answer

If you are heading to High Barnet, Moxon Street gives you a free first hour and Stapylton Road is the cheapest by the hour after that. In North Finchley, Castle Road, Lodge Lane, Stanhope Road and Woodhouse Road all run the same tariff, so pick on walking distance rather than price. In Mill Hill and Hendon, Daws Lane and West Hendon Playing Fields give you two hours free and Hendon Park gives you thirty minutes free. And if you do not mind a walk, Brunswick Road, Church Hill Road and Osidge Lane are free all day, every day.

Barnet’s free car parks

Three council car parks charge nothing at all (car parks and on street parking locations):

• Brunswick Road, Brunswick Park Road, N11 1JJ. Open all day.
• Church Hill Road, EN4 8SY. Open all day.
• Osidge Lane, N14 5DU. Open all day.

Several others are effectively free for a short stop. Moxon Street in High Barnet gives you the first hour free, Daws Lane in Mill Hill, West Hendon Playing Fields and Wise Lane each give two hours free, and Hendon Park and Old Courthouse Recreation Ground give thirty minutes free.

Barnet car park tariffs by town centre

All the charges below are the council’s published off-street tariffs. Every council car park can be paid by PayByPhone, online or through the app, using the location number displayed on the signs.

High Barnet and East Barnet

What it means for you: Moxon Street is the obvious first choice for a quick errand on the High Street, because the first hour costs nothing. Past an hour it is dearer than Stapylton Road, where an hour is £1.69 and three hours is £3.38.

North Finchley and Whetstone

Castle Road, Lodge Lane, Stanhope Road (Main) and Stanhope Road (Top) and Woodhouse Road all run an identical tariff: £1.10 for 30 minutes, £2.19 for an hour, £3.30 for 90 minutes, £4.40 for two hours and £5.49 for over two hours, Monday to Saturday. Castle Road and Stanhope Road close at 5pm, Lodge Lane and Woodhouse Road at 6.30pm.

Castle Road and Stanhope Road (Lower) are also the two car parks where a restricted and resident car park permit works, available to people whose workplace or school is inside the North Finchley Controlled Parking Zone.

Hendon, Mill Hill and Colindale

Edgware and Burnt Oak

Watling Avenue (River Approach, HA8 0AZ) is the council car park serving the Burnt Oak and Edgware end of the borough, and it is priced for longer stays: £1.69 for up to two hours, £2.52 for up to four hours and £3.38 for over four hours, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm. For a whole day it is the cheapest council car park in Barnet.

The Burroughs (NW4 4HX), Hundred Acre, Quakers Course and Strafford Road (EN5 4LR) are permit holder car parks tied to Controlled Parking Zones rather than general pay and display.

Controlled Parking Zones: how the kerbside works

Away from the car parks, most of Barnet’s residential kerbside sits inside a Controlled Parking Zone. Inside a CPZ, parking is only allowed in marked bays and the rest of the kerb is under yellow line restrictions during the controlled hours shown on the entry signs (how CPZs work).

Every zone has its own days and hours, and there is no single borough-wide time. To check any road, use the council’s interactive map, TraffWeb, which also tells you whether a given property falls inside a zone.

Bay types matter as much as hours. “Residents permit holders only” takes resident permits and visitor vouchers, “business permit holders only” takes business permits, “permit holders only” takes both, and shared use bays mix permit parking with paid parking. In all of them the zone letters on your permit have to match the zone letters on the time plate.

Two exemptions apply borough-wide: Blue Badge holders park free and for unlimited time in permit bays and paid parking places, and motorcycles park free in both, without a permit.

Barnet also enforces two rules people miss. Vehicles over five tonnes cannot wait overnight anywhere in the borough between 6.30pm and 8am, loaded or not. And footway parking, including on verges and crossovers, is prohibited unless signs and markings say otherwise.

Resident and visitor permit prices

Barnet prices resident permits by emissions, using engine size instead for vehicles registered before 1 March 2001 or where CO2 is not documented. There are fourteen bands, all managed through the MiPermit system.

Three-month permits run at roughly a quarter of those figures, from £4.88 for an electric car to £60.07 in band 14. A diesel surcharge of £13.22 is added to a twelve-month permit and £3.31 to a three-month one. Vehicles with seven or more seats in bands 7 to 14 get a reduction, capping most of them at £86.23 (apply or renew parking permits).

For guests, visitor permits come two ways. Virtual permits are £2.60 each, ordered in multiples of four. Paper scratch cards are £3.11 each, sold in books of four at £12.44, with a minimum first order of three books at £37.32. Each permit covers one day, and a household can buy at most 200 in twelve months across both types.

Barnet also issues business, doctor, carer, school, school streets, religious or community, essential service and Saracens event day permits, each with its own eligibility rules.

Penalties, enforcement and bank holidays

Penalty charges in Barnet are set London-wide by the London Councils Transport and Environment Committee and rose on 7 April 2025 (notice of changes to penalty charges):

• Higher level parking contraventions: £160, reduced to £80 if paid within 14 days.
• Lower level parking contraventions: £110, reduced to £55 if paid within 14 days.
• Bus lane and moving traffic contraventions: £160.
• Release from a wheel clamp £100, release from the pound £280, storage £55 a day, disposal £100.

Civil Enforcement Officers patrol on foot and by scooter, photograph contraventions as evidence, and the council states they have no targets or incentives. They do not enforce on private land, most housing estates, or Transport for London red routes. You can view the images behind a PCN with the reference and registration number, or challenge it. To report a vehicle parked in contravention, the enforcement line is 0204 636 9561.

Bank holidays are where drivers get caught. Barnet does not suspend everything. On bank holidays other than Christmas Day, council car parks, paid parking spaces, business bays, residents’ bays and CPZ restrictions and school markings are not enforced, but double and single yellow lines, dropped kerbs, bus lanes, bus stops, loading bays, disabled bays and footway parking are. Double parking and white zigzag lines are enforced even on Christmas Day (parking restrictions).

Frequently asked questions

Is there free parking in Barnet?

Yes. Brunswick Road, Church Hill Road and Osidge Lane are free council car parks open all day. Moxon Street gives a free first hour, Daws Lane, Wise Lane and West Hendon Playing Fields give two hours free, and Hendon Park and Old Courthouse Recreation Ground give thirty minutes free.

How much is parking in Barnet town centre?

At Moxon Street the first hour is free, then £3.38 for two hours. At Stapylton Road an hour is £1.69 and three hours is £3.38. Fitzjohn Avenue is dearer at £2.88 an hour.

How do I know if my road is in a Controlled Parking Zone?

Use the council’s TraffWeb map, which shows CPZ restrictions for every road in the borough and tells you whether a property sits inside a zone. Entry signs give the zone letters and controlled hours.

How much is a resident parking permit in Barnet?

Between £19.52 and £240.26 for twelve months, depending on your vehicle’s CO2 emissions or engine size, with £13.22 added for a diesel. An additional vehicle at the same address costs more, from £52.60.

How much is a parking fine in Barnet?

£160 for a higher level contravention or £110 for a lower level one, halved to £80 and £55 if paid within 14 days. Bus lane and moving traffic penalties are £160.

Is parking enforced on bank holidays in Barnet?

Partly. Council car parks, paid bays, residents’ bays and CPZ restrictions are not enforced on bank holidays, but yellow lines, bus lanes, bus stops, loading bays, disabled bays, dropped kerbs and footway parking are.

Sources

• Barnet Council, car parks and on street parking locations, for every car park, its address, opening hours and tariff
• Barnet Council, how Controlled Parking Zones work and the TraffWeb CPZ map
• Barnet Council, apply or renew parking permits and visitor’s parking permits
• Barnet Council, parking restrictions and bank holiday enforcement
• Barnet Council, notice of changes to penalty charges and additional fees

Tariffs and permit prices checked against Barnet Council’s published pages on 4 August 2026. Charges change, so check the sign or the council page before you pay. Related: Barnet council tax bands and Barnet bin collection days.