The management of on-street car parking in West Dorset, North Dorset, East Dorset and Purbeck is the responsibility of Dorset County Council.

The respective councils of Weymouth and Portland and Christchurch are responsible for managing their own car parking areas.

District and borough councils manage most off-street car parks, and where parking charges apply, they are regularly patrolled by parking attendants who will issue a fine if a valid ticket or permit is not displayed.

Parking Services

The Parking Services Group is responsible for all aspects of parking control and Civil Parking Enforcement including the design of and order making for all parking schemes, issuing of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) and collecting the income.

Good parking management is essential to ensure that both residents and visitors can move freely and safely within the county, by whichever means of transport they may choose. It is the council's task to keep traffic flowing, whilst also ensuring that wherever possible, there is a fair and adequate allocation of our parking resources to meet the varied needs of residents, visitors and businesses.

Parking enforcement changed from 30 March 2008 to deal with illegally parked cars more effectively. Tickets issued for contraventions such as parking on a double yellow line which causes congestion or possible danger attract a higher charge (£70 discounted to £35 on prompt payment) whereas a lesser contravention such as overstaying a car park time period is at a lower charge (£50 discounted to £25 on prompt payment).

Civil Parking Enforcement places the liability for the PCN upon the owner of the vehicle, regardless of whether they were the driver at the time of the contravention (except if the vehicle was hired at the time of the contravention, in which case the hirer is liable). Legally the owner is considered to be the person whom the vehicle is registered to with DVLA, Swansea. The DVLA must be notified when a vehicle is sold, otherwise the seller will remain responsible for the vehicle and could be liable for any parking penalties incurred by the new owner.

The Parking Service is financed from penalty charges, permits and pay & display income. The objective is to achieve a self-financing service so that it is not a burden on the public purse. For many Local Authorities the new rules are likely to mean an effective reduction in parking income as the new Penalty Charge for less serious contraventions is lowered. This is all part of the philosophy of Civil Parking Enforcement of fair traffic management policy set out in the Traffic Management Act statutory guidance.

The design and order-making team in the group are responsible for introducing new traffic regulation orders, maintaining the signs and lines for existing orders and investigating parking problems or queries. This includes residents, disabled and pay and display parking schemes as well as waiting and loading restrictions.

Ultimately restrictions are ineffective unless they are accompanied by on-site enforcement. Civil Enforcement Officers (CEO s) are employed to patrol the streets and some car parks on behalf of District Councils and the CEO s act as deterrents to illegal parking. As a last resort they can issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) and as this is the public face of Parking Services it is frequently the one on which we are judged.

• Car parks

  Location details and other information about car parks in Dorset.

• Disabled parking (in council car parks)

  Information on disabled parking in Dorset.

• Disabled parking (Blue Badge)

  The disabled parking scheme (blue badge) provides a national arrangement of parking concessions for people with severe walking difficulties who travel either as drivers or passengers.

• Park and ride

  Information on the park and ride services available in Dorset.

• Parking - enforcement and fines

  Information about parking fines, including why they are issued, how to challenge them and how to pay them.

• Parking permits

  The number of cars is increasing, however, the amount of safe parking spaces is not.

• Annual Reports

  In accordance with the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities are expected to be accountable and transparent and as such are required to publish annual reports.